Tanner Robinson
United States Senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar is trying to get the word out about plasma donations from past COVID-19 patients for the fight against the pandemic.
She and Republican Sen. Roger Wicker from Mississippi are co-sponsoring the Plasma Donation Awareness Act, which calls for the Department of Health and Human Services to put out a public awareness campaign on the donations.
Klobuchar's husband and dad both caught COVID-19, so she said she feels personally drawn to this bill, which she believes gives patients and families hope.
"It's not like something where you're going to get a big check, or you might get a cookie after you give the plasma, but what you have done is help a stranger," she said.
Klobuchar said although the method can't prevent you from getting the virus, it's a good way to help others heal.
"There's really promising developments with plasma as one treatment, not the only treatment," she said. "It's not a vaccine."
She said she's pushing the bill at a time when 31 out of the 50 states are seeing rises in COVID cases, and the plasma supply being low nationwide.