Corona Virus Assignment
Assignment: Read this very interesting article from the New York Times newspaper about
seriously ill Corona Virus patients and how doctors in New York will treat patients with an
experimental treatment.
Here’s the link: “Blood Plasma From Survivors Will Be Given to Corona Patients”.

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Which specific Covid-19 patients will be targeted for treatment?
Who will be used to donate blood for the treatment?
What do doctors expect to find in the blood of people who have recovered from the disease?
Is the donor blood screened, and what would doctors look for that would prevent a donor’s blood
from being used?
What part of the blood contains the antibodies against the Covid-19 virus?
What do you think of this attempt to treat patients now with this procedure, with the
understanding that a vaccine may not be available for at least a year? Are there any risks?
Doing a bit more research, you can use your textbook and other sources to answer the following:
Describe the composition of the plasma portion of the blood.
Describe the role of the immune system to fight the virus?
What is the difference between innate and adaptive immunity?
Of the four major molecules found in living tissues, what type of
biomolecule is an antibody and briefly describe its structure?
When the body produces specific antibodies to a bacterial or viral infection, which specific white
blood cell produces the antibody?

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