A READING man who has recovered from Covid-19 is urging people in the same position to donate to the new plasma donor centre on Kings Road.

Peter West, who lives near Reading town centre, had Covid-19 in March and is still able to donate blood plasma now for the national trial.

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The antibodies in his plasma – and those in the antibodies of the thousands of people donating around the country – could prove to be an effective treatment for coronavirus.

The plasma is transfused into patients who are struggling to develop their own immune response, and the antibodies could slow or stop the virus spreading, which could save lives.

Peter, 61, a principal manager for Vodafone, lost 5kg during his illness and struggled to breathe.

He said: "I spent four days in some distress.

"With hindsight, and reading more into it later, I should probably have called 999 at that point as my oxygen levels were clearly falling."

After recovering, Peter volunteered to donate through the NHSBT website.

He said: "I've donated seven times so far.

"I've just had a confirmation that my antibody levels are still high and I'll be donating again in December.

"The process is very straightforward.

"The first six donations were at the NHSBT unit in Oxford.

"My most recent donation was at the new popup unit in Reading.

"I would encourage anyone who can donate to do so - it's almost painless and recovery is quick so it's back to normal activities in no time.

"I'd love to think I might have helped someone so seeing the trial results will be very interesting."

An NHS Blood and Transplant spokesperson said: "We thank Peter and everyone donating blood plasma.

"Donation is safe and easy, and you could save lives.

"More than 30 people are booked into to donate in Reading over the next four weeks but we need more donors in Reading and Berkshire."

Anyone over 17 who has had covid-19 can offer to donate blood plasma donor.

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Donating is simple - it takes 45 minutes and the whole appointment, including time for snacks, lasts approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.

NHSBT especially needs more male and BAME donors to come forward as their plasma is more likely to contain the higher levels of antibodies required. People who needed hospital treatment are especially likely to have high antibody levels.

The plasma is being transfused through the RECOVERY and REMAP-CAP trials.

If you’ve had confirmed coronavirus or the symptoms, you can volunteer today to donate plasma at www.nhsbt.nhs.uk or simply search online for ‘donate plasma’.