A lifesaving quest to harvest the plasma of Covid survivors
On April 1, Rabbi Leib Kelemen, a well-known author and rosh kollel in Jerusalem, sent out a podcast. Imagine, he told his listeners, a scene in which all the negative news coverage of chareidi Jews was suddenly replaced by images of chareidi Covid-19 survivors lining up in multitudes to give potentially life-saving convalescent blood plasma to those still battling the virus.
Little did he know that the wheels were already turning that would bring his vision to pass.
The story, which has the makings of a Hollywood thriller and which is far from over, begins with apparent serendipity. On March 29, Covid-19 patient Rabbi Mordechai Swiatycki of Monsey was taken to Westchester Medical Center, where his medical condition declined rapidly and he was placed on a respirator. At one point, the German-born infectious disease specialist overseeing Rabbi Swiatycki’s case, Dr. Bettina Knoll, began reviewing all the possible treatments with his son Abba.
She mentioned a number of possible medications, but also said she wished that she could try using convalescent blood plasma drawn from those who had recovered from the virus. Unfortunately, she said, there were no donors.
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