This partial article by Patricia Kime, with contributions from Oriana Pawlyk, originally appeared on Military.com, a leading source of news for the military and veteran community.
More than 600,000 Tricare users in the military health system’s East Region received emails Friday asking them to consider donating blood for research as “survivors of COVID-19.”
But given that just 31,000 persons affiliated with the U.S. military have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, the email came as a surprise to beneficiaries.
“Just wondering [if] anybody [got] an email from Tricare saying since you are a COVID survivor, please donate your plasma.?? I have NOT been tested,” wrote a beneficiary on Facebook. “Just remember all those people inputting data are human and make mistakes.”
Humana Military, the company that manages Tricare for part or all of 31 states and the District of Columbia, issued a call to blood donors located near military installations that are collecting plasma from recovered coronavirus patients, also known as convalescent plasma, as a potential treatment for the illness.
But the message went to every beneficiary located near a collection point.
“As a survivor of COVID-19, it’s safe to donate whole blood or blood plasma, and your donation could help other COVID-19 patients. Your plasma likely has antibodies (or proteins) present that might help fight the coronavirus infection. Currently, there is no cure for COVID-19. However, there is information that suggests plasma from COVID-19 survivors, like you, might help some patients recover more quickly from COVID-19,” the email stated.
Six hours later, Humana issued a mea culpa.
“In an attempt to educate beneficiaries who live close to convalescent plasma donation centers about collection opportunities, you received an email incorrectly suggesting you were a COVID-19 survivor. You have not been identified as a COVID-19 survivor and we apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused,” the company wrote.
In sum, be aware of all attempts to contact you – email, text, phone, etc. As the old saying goes: “When in doubt, leave it out!”