MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Versiti Blood Centers issued an urgent plea Wednesday, Nov. 11, asking those who've been previously infected with COVID-19 to "pay it forward" by donating COVID convalescent plasma (CCP). 

The center says with cases and hospitalizations surging, they're struggling to keep up with hospital needs.

They say the need for plasma has doubled in the last four weeks and is expected to increase rapidly as cases continue to soar.

“We are facing a critical need,” said Dr. Dan Waxman, vice president of transfusion medicine and senior medical officer at Versiti. “Without intervention from the community, we face the very real possibility that we won’t be able to fill orders for patients in hospitals we serve. This important therapy cannot be manufactured. It comes from generous volunteer donors in our communities who have recovered from COVID and now are able to help hospitalized patients in those very same communities.”

COVID convalescent plasma is a blood-related therapy used to treat the most severely affected patients. The donated plasma contains antibodies, according to Versiti, which can help seriously ill patients fight the infection.

Individuals who have previously donated COVID convalescent plasma are asked to call 877-BE-A-HERO to make another appointment. CCP donors are generally eligible to donate up to 12 times

Those who are interested in donating plasma for the first time are asked to visit versiti.org/covid19plasma.