NBA players who recovered from COVID-19 will help with experimental treatment
The NBA season is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Celtics guard Marcus Smart still made a great play.
Smart, who recovered after having COVID-19, will join three others NBA players in donating blood for an experimental therapy, ABC News reported.
The treatment is known as convalescent plasma. The Atlantic reported the Food and Drug Administration has allowed doctors to use plasma to help patients who are sick with the coronavirus. It is believed the plasma, which is separated from blood donations, has antibodies that can battle the virus.
Dr. Michael Joyner of the Mayo Clinic is part of the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project. He told ABC the NBA players offer special characteristics that should prove beneficial.
“These are big men with blood volumes, and as a result have a lot of plasma volume,” Joyner said. “Frequently people who are physically trained also have an increase in their plasma volume from what you would expect from them just being regular-sized guys.”
While the three NBA players joining Smart haven’t been identified, he tweeted on Sunday that he was free of the coronavirus.
Joyner gave credit to Smart and the others for stepping up to help.
“I think you have to do what’s in front of you right now,” Joyner said. “The players themselves had nothing to do with getting into the VIP lane. It’s one of those things about celebrities in the United States, and we’re not going to solve that problem in the middle of this crisis.”
