New york (AP) – Hospitals are starting to line up survivors of the new coronavirus to donate some blood, so doctors can use it to treat the sick. Blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients carries immune system antibodies that fight the virus, and early donors are happy to try to help. It’s experimental, but the century-old treatment has helped fight diseases in the past, including the 1918 flu pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration has announced a national study to help more hospitals try the approach, and sign up more people. Researchers will track whether the experimental therapy really works.
