The donor's blood will be used in a clinical trial. The idea is to determine whether the plasma, when separated from the blood, can help treat Covid-19 patients.

At least 30 of them have registered to donate their blood to the SA National Blood Service to be used in a clinical trial.

The deputy dean of the Faculty of Health at the University of North West, Professor Andrew Robinson, says the blood donation will play a significant role.

“Those people who have been cured and have recovered from corona have developed an immune system response because they got infected and got better. Their body was able to remove the virus and to heal them - so they’ll look at the antibodies that the body makes to see what the nature of the antibodies is so that any new medicines can target and try to create that degree of immunity to people that have been not been infected,” said Robinson.

He says while these trials are important, there is still a long way to go.

“It will still take a long time - many years - before a cure is found. There is a standard method of testing new products first in the laboratory, then in animals, then in the healthy humans, then insecure mints, so all of that takes time.”

Meanwhile, doctors and health experts say that people must continue to protect themselves by wearing masks, washing their hands and practicing social distancing.

eNCA