OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, the first governor in the nation to test positive for the coronavirus, said Tuesday that he has donated plasma to help other virus patients recover.
Stitt made the donation recently at an Oklahoma Blood Institute center in Enid, the Republican governor said in a statement.
He says “donating convalescent plasma is the easiest way Oklahomans who have recovered from COVID-19 can help their friends and neighbors.”
Convalescent plasma is being researched as a potential treatment or preventive measure for the virus that as of Tuesday had infected a reported 44,728 people in Oklahoma and left 618 dead. The true number of cases in Oklahoma is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
Stitt announced in July that he’d contracted the virus and quarantined himself for two weeks.
Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith also was infected with the virus and says she, too, donated plasma.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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