U.S. surgeon general still encourages COVID-19 survivors to donate plasma

U.S. surgeon general still encourages COVID-19 survivors to donate plasma

The U.S. surgeon general says while the vaccine rollout is promising, there is something COVID-19 survivors can do right now to help those who are already sick: donate plasma.

DALLAS - The U.S. surgeon general says while the vaccine rollout is promising, there is something COVID-19 survivors can do right now to help those who are already sick.

The surgeon general says they plan to have 100 million Americans vaccinated by the end of February. But with hospitals surging right now, he is getting the word out about ways to help fight the virus.

 This month, the coronavirus surge in North Texas reached pandemic highs for hospitalizations and deaths.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams is a member of the White House Coronavirus Taskforce. He talked to FOX 4 about the steady increases and the rollout of the Pfizer and modern vaccines.  He was vaccinated with the vice president and second lady last week.

"I wanted to make sure people saw me walking the talk. I wanted people to understand as a doctor and public health expert that I've looked at the data," he said.

Dr. Adams wants more people who survived having COVID to donate plasma, saying it can help surging hospitals and patients.

"If you get in a car wreck on an icy road this winter, there might not be room in the hospital. Why? Because the beds are full," he said. "And one way we can help keep people out of the hospital or get them out sooner is by using some of these therapies. Convalescent plasma being one of them."

This week, the Moderna vaccine will come to North Texas and go to multiple fire departments in our area.

Hospitals enter week two of giving employees the Pfizer COVID shot.

"Vaccines are not going to be like a light switch," Dr. Adams said. "It’s more like a dimmer switch and we are starting to turn that dimmer switch up a little bit brighter."

The surgeon general says models show things possibly getting back to normal as early as Memorial Day or around summertime, but only if people continue to take precautions.