Covid-19 is still a pandemic that affects various parts of the world. The SARS-CoV-2 virus attacks the respiratory tract and lungs. The virus also spreads quickly through droplets of saliva. Thus, we still have to make various efforts to avoid it, namely the use of masks that cover the mouth and nose, trying to increase the body's resistance so that even though it is infected it does not lead to serious or critical conditions. Until now there is no specific drug that can directly treat this disease. However, the efforts of medical personnel to treat Covid-19 patients, especially those with severe conditions, are to provide blood plasma containing antibodies from Covid-19 patients who have recovered.

If you have recovered from Covid-19, antibodies or immunity to the Covid-19 virus will be formed in your blood plasma. Blood plasma with Covid-19 antibodies in it could help other people who are in critical condition to recover or at least relieve the symptoms they have.

In Jakarta, this plasma donation has been carried out since the first wave of Covid-19 struck, then when the second wave began to rise, this method was used again. With so many patients recovering from the second wave, many people with antibodies in their plasma want to help other patients who are still struggling in hospital beds. Therefore, the Jakarta Health Agency then took the initiative to cooperate with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) to open up as many opportunities as possible for those who want to donate blood plasma. Jakarta Health Agency and PMI initially created a website where donors could register for plasma donors which can help to heal many of these Covid-19 patients. Now, the plasma donor feature is also present in the JAKI application to make it easier for Jakarta residents who want to help Covid-19 patients with their blood plasma.

Convalescent Plasma Donor Criteria 

Not everyone can donate blood plasma even though they have recovered from Covid-19. The criteria for convalescent plasma donors are as follows:

1. History of tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 6 months
2. The donor is healthy and has no chronic blood-borne diseases (e.g. hepatitis, HIV, etc.)
3. Has been declared free of Covid-19 (Negative) or has recovered at least 14 days to 6 months
4. Preferably 18-60 years old
5. Preferably male
6. For women, never been pregnant.
7. Minimum weight of 45 kg
8. Willing to sign informed consent letter

How to Register for Convalescent Plasma Donor at JAKI

If you meet the criteria for a convalescent plasma donor, then you can register yourself to become a donor through JAKI with the following steps:

1. Open JAKI
2. Scroll down. In the Jakarta Tanggap Covid-19 section, select "Donor Plasma"

3. If you have questions about plasma donors, you can click the Whatsapp button at the bottom right of the screen. However, if you want to register right away, you can choose “Mulai”