Celtics guard Marcus Smart plans to donate his blood plasma to the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Tuesday evening.
Smart, the lone member of the Celtics organization to test positive for COVID-19, shared Sunday that he had been cleared of the virus. The antibodies in his plasma could now be useful in developing a treatment for the potentially deadly disease.
According to the project’s website, donated plasma can be used either for compassionate treatment or for research.
Last week, the Food and Drug Administration approved the usage of blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors for compassionate treatment of individuals infected with the virus, which means doctors are authorized to utilize the blood plasma in treatment even though its effectiveness has not yet been proven.
Per Charania, the NBA has asked recovered players and staffers to consider donating their plasma.
Smart, who remained asymptomatic, has been vocal about the importance of social distancing and taking seriously the precautions against COVID-19.
