In a recent Instagram post, Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge recounts his family’s brush with COVID-19 and subsequent donation of plasma to critically ill patients still recovering.

“About a week after Jess and I got home from our trip to NYC for ABB 50 on March 10, we started having Covid symptoms and were both sick for several days, but it wasn’t severe,” he wrote via Instagram. “…Last week, [my wife] Jess got an email from her doctor saying that they had Covid antibody tests so we scheduled an appointment and sure enough, tested positive for the antibodies (but it was confirmed we were no longer shedding the virus). The great thing about a positive antibody test is that you can donate plasma to help critically ill Covid patients.”

Burbridge closes his message by calling on those who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma like he and his wife did: “It’s a unique and special opportunity where you could quite literally save someone’s life.”

See the bassist’s full message below:

View this post on Instagram

First Plasma Donation for Covid Patients ♥️ About a week after Jess and I got home from our trip to NYC for ABB 50 on March 10, we started having Covid symptoms and were both sick for several days, but it wasn’t severe. Nigel and Kavi both got sick as well a few days after us (also short-lived and not severe). We tried to get tested but since our symptoms weren’t severe and we weren’t over the age of 65, we were told we didn’t qualify for a test. So our family quarantined, like we planned to do anyways, and rested and recovered at home. Last week, Jess got an email from her doctor saying that they had Covid antibody tests so we scheduled an appointment and sure enough, tested positive for the antibodies (but it was confirmed we were no longer shedding the virus). The great thing about a positive antibody test is that you can donate plasma to help critically ill Covid patients. If you suspect you had Covid-19 as well but couldn’t get tested, I want to encourage you to seek out an antibody test and donate plasma if you can. It’s a unique and special opportunity where you could quite literally save someone’s life. #covid19 #helpontheway

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