Report: Celtics' Marcus Smart to Donate Blood Plasma for COVID-19 Research

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is donating his blood plasma to National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project to aid ongoing research about the coronavirus, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

Smart announced Sunday doctors had determined him to be free of the coronavirus after he tested positive earlier in the month.

The United States has more confirmed cases of COVID-19 (184,183) than any other country, and 3,721 Americans have died from the disease, per CNN.

No vaccine for COVID-19 exists. In addition, CNN's Robert Kuznia spoke to medical experts who questioned whether one could be developed within the 12-18-month window posited by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

"I don't think it's ever been done at an industrial scale in 18 months," Dr. Amesh Adalja said. "Vaccine development is usually measured in years, not months."

The Atlantic's Sarah Zhang detailed how doctors are using the plasma of people who have recovered from the coronavirus to learn more about possible treatments:

"In addition to using plasma on a case-by-case basis for very ill patients, doctors are also planning to study convalescent-plasma therapy for COVID-19 more systematically. Soon, the New York Blood Center plans to send out plasma for clinical trials at several hospitals, such as Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, and Montefiore Medical Center."

Charania reported Sunday the NBA was supporting the National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project and asking any team individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to consider donating plasma.

Smart is among the handful of NBA players who have tested positive, a group that includes Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and guard Donovan Mitchell and Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant.