Have you been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have recovered? Your help is needed.

According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, over 1,000 Winneshiek County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have recovered.  Now Winneshiek County Public Health officials are hoping many of these recovered patients will help in the fight against COVID-19.

That's because the recovered patients have developed antibodies during their bout with COVID-19.  And those antibodies can be harvested from the blood of the recovered patients and can be used to fight COVID-19 in other people.  However, the antibodies are present for only a certain period of time, so people who have recovered recently are more likely to be accepted as donors.

Winneshiek County Public Health says there aren't any facilities locally which can do the work, but there is a place near La Crosse (in Onalaska) which does.  More information about the Biolife facility at 1278 Rudy Street in Onalaska can be obtained by visiting this link. The donation center can also be reached at (608) 783-6707.  Appointments must be scheduled directly with BioLife.  Donors will be paid for their plasma donation.