Researchers testing plasma from COVID-19 survivors to treat other active infections

Can plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 help to not only treat an active infection, but also prevent one in the first place? It's a question researchers are trying to answer.

It's called convalescent plasma. The idea is the antibodies from someone who has recovered can help someone with an active infection to clear the virus.

Doctors are still testing this theory and now they've added to the research. They want to know if the antibodies can also help stave off the infection.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins and 15 other medical sites are recruiting volunteers who are at high risk for COVID-19, which includes healthcare workers, family members of someone with the infection or people who work at nursing homes.

The volunteers will either get regular plasma or plasma from someone who has recovered from COVID-19 and then scientists will track who gets sick.

If it works, it gives us another tool to protect people until a vaccine is ready.