Frederica Freyberg:

This week some positive news in the fight against COVID-19. The University of Wisconsin has joined a nationwide effort to help people hospitalized with coronavirus. As “Here & Now” Reporter Marisa Wojcik shows you, they are taking plasma from a Madison patient who has recovered to benefit people still seriously ill with the disease.

Gary Dalgaard:

I started hearing little bits about it. Things they were doing in other parts of the country and I thought that would really be cool if we could turn this into a positive and be able to do something.

Marisa Wojcik:

Gary and Gretchen Dalgaard were some of the first few cases of the novel coronavirus in Wisconsin. Gary discovered that having recovered from the COVID-19 disease, the plasma in his blood contained something special.

William Hartman:

The donor, the individual that you take it from, that person has already fought off the virus, so they have an effective antibody in their system.

Marisa Wojcik:

Dr. William Hartman is the lead investigator of the UW Health’s program to bring the plasma of recovered COVID-19 patients to those who are currently suffering from the disease.

William Hartman:

So this is a technique that actually dates back over 100 years. It was used to treat diphtheria, Spanish flu. It’s been used in other coronaviruses, like MERS and SARS.

Marisa Wojcik:

Gary donated his plasma last week. And it’s already in the bodies of two patients suffering from COVID-19.

William Hartman:

What we’re doing is giving the patient an immune boost.

Marisa Wojcik:

Studying the effects of his immune boost within others will help the medical world understand the potential of this treatment.

William Hartman:

Can we prevent patients from going on to ventilators? Can we prevent patients from going into the ICU?

Marisa Wojcik:

The Convalescent Plasma Project has grown to 800 hospitals nationwide.

William Hartman:

This, because it’s a meaningful study, I think really will allow us to come to a conclusion as to whether or not it’s effective and safe and then we can spread worldwide to treat as many people as we can.

Marisa Wojcik:

Hundreds more have called, asking if they qualify to donate plasma.

William Hartman:

The fact that the community has been so tremendous and forthcoming with their donations means that we should have plasma available to any patient that needs it.

Gretchen Dalgaard:

There is so little that we regular people can do.

Gary Dalgaard:

We’ve been sitting here in the house for five weeks and watching all the heroic things that others are doing out there and feeling just totally helpless. And this was a chance for us to do something.

Marisa Wojcik:

For “Here & Now,” I’m Marisa Wojcik.