Worcester Doctor Hopes His Personal Coronavirus Battle Will Save Friend
WORCESTER (CBS) - Dr. Justin Maykel says he always considered his job a privilege, but donating his virus-resistant blood toward a potential coronavirus treatment puts a new spin on it. "The fact that I can go beyond my normal activities, my normal skill set, my training, and actually provide antibodies to help treat our patients is a pretty unique situation to be in," he said.
The UMass Memorial Medical Center surgeon became infected with coronavirus last month. "I had a high fever, and muscle aches and chills," he said. It lasted a week. He isolated, and eventually returned to work, feeling uniquely bulletproof against the very disease the whole world is trying to avoid. "Since I've fully recovered and enough time has passed, my body has developed antibodies to fight off the virus and fight off infections," he explained.
It's something one of his friends, now fighting COVID-19 in intensive care desperately needs. That's what brought Dr. Maykel to the American Red Cross. "You can take those antibodies and then deliver them to a patient who's fighting the virus," he explained. "This convalescent plasma is something that's been a treatment for decades, and it's been used against other virus like Ebola or SARS with some success."
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It's still experimental. Dr. Maykel is only the second in the state to donate plasma for it. "It's a great use of my time," he said.
He's hoping his story will encourage other COVID-19 patients who've recovered to do the same. The first step is signing up with the American Red Cross here: www.redcrossblood.org