Kwon (centre) and members of Church at the launch of the donation drive in Daegu Indoor Athletics Stadium.
KUCHING: The Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the South Korean city of Daegu started its third convalescent blood plasma donation drive on Nov 16 at the city’s indoor athletics stadium.
A spokesperson for the Church here said the drive which will be held for three weeks until Dec 11 will involve 4,000 Shincheonji members who have fully recovered from Covid-19 including 1,700 who had donated previously.
Last month, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) requested further plasma donations from the church.
A KDCA statement said, “It is necessary to quickly develop plasma treatment through group plasma donation in the absence of an effective treatment amidst Covid-19 pandemic in the world.”
KDCA staff members were also present at the launch to help volunteers with the plasma donation drive.
The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters’ deputy director Kwon Joon-wook who witnessed the launch thanked the donors.
“We are grateful for the active participation of Shincheonji, and for the cooperation of the City of Daegu and the Korean Red Cross,” he said.
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus had conducted two plasma donation drives in July and September this year when donors had turned down offers of allowance for their transport to the stadium
One church member said, “It is the most valuable thing we can do as people who have recovered from Covid.
“Through our experience of participating in plasma donation, all the members of our congregation have realised that the power to overcome Covid-19 is tolerance, love, and unity.”
A volunteer nurse attends to a volunteer donor during the donation drive.