Miami-Dade County mayor first in state to donate plasma to treat coronavirus

LAKE MARY, Fla. - The mayor of Miami is the first person in the state to donate COVID-19 convalescent plasma after recovering from the coronavirus.

That plasma could be used to save someone’s life, and it all started with a message on Instagram.

A desperate family left Mayor Francis Suarez their phone number.

“I actually called back the patient’s family right away and they were very emotional,” said Mayor Suarez.

One of the first to be diagnosed in Miami-Dade County, Mayor Suarez has since recovered from the virus and learned he was eligible to donate his plasma, which was full of coronavirus antibodies.

“When you deliver this plasma to someone still fighting off an infection, you also give them these antibodies. This helps them neutralize the virus in their body and recover faster,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz.

“He’s been struggling for a few days. I think Monday was a very complicated day,” said the plasma recipient’s son-in-law John Wiener.

Weiner says his father in law has been up and down and struggling.

“We hope it really works and makes a difference to his treatment right now.”

The mayor is the first in the state to donate plasma to help treat coronavirus. He says this is more than a good deed, but a call to action.

“You still have a continuing obligation to help those who are suffering from it and that are in a worse condition than you were. I knew right then and there that not only had my life changed, but my role as mayor changed, that I had to be a champion on this issue.”