Recovered Tulsa COVID-19 Patient Donates Plasma For Clinical Trial

Curtis Barone knows he's fortunate.

He's a survivor of COVID-19, and now fully recovered and considered immune. He was the first person, in Oklahoma, diagnosed with the disease, and he didn't pass it to anyone else.

Previous Story: Oklahoma's First Coronavirus Case Confirmed, Gov. Stitt Says 

Barone was diagnosed March 1, just after returning from a trip to Italy. He works from home, so he was already isolated, and thought he was coming down with the flu.

Previous Story: Oklahoma's First Coronavirus (COVID-19) Patient Recovered, Tulsa Health Department Says 

Now Barone is part of a clinical trial using plasma collected by the American Red Cross. Physicians at Ascension St. John infused his plasma into a critically ill patient last Saturday and say that by Monday the patient was off a ventilator.

Barone asked to donate hoping to help, and he's encouraged his donation might have saved the life of another COVID-19 patient. The hospital hopes to get several other patients into the trial and use plasma as a treatment while a vaccine is under development.

Ascension St. John hopes to add patients to the program. The Red Cross is looking for recovering patients to donate plasma so the trials can continue.