Be the Difference

Convalescent plasma from people who had recently recovered from Covid-19 was needed to treat critically ill patients with the virus in UK hospitals. The plasma, which contains neutralising antibodies which could stop the virus spreading, could be transfused into people who are still unwell and struggling to develop their own immune response. Men were more likely to have high levels of antibodies needed for the samples to be effective, but were typically much less likely to give blood. Antibody levels decrease quickly after recovery, so timing was critical and awareness and understanding of plasma donation were non-existent. Establishing the importance of donating plasma had to be done at the same time as recruiting donors. Men responded better to explicit calls to action about why in particular they were needed so a TV call to action was put in place. A partnership was set up with Sky Sports to develop the ultimate half-time team/pep talk to encourage men to donate. Everton Football Club manager Carlo Ancelotti joined the NHS Blood Donation team as a voice of authority, urging those that have had Covid-19 to donate blood plasma to help save the lives of others.