meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Radiolab

Dispatch 3: Shared Immunity

Radiolab

WNYC Studios

Science, Natural Sciences, History, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.643.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 April 2020

⏱️ 38 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

More than a million people have caught Covid-19, and tens of thousands have died. But thousands more have survived and recovered. A week or so ago (aka, what feels like ten years in corona time) producer Molly Webster learned that many of those survivors possess a kind of superpower: antibodies trained to fight the virus. Not only that, they might be able to pass this power on to the people who are sick with corona, and still in the fight. Today we have the story of an experimental treatment that’s popping up all over the country: convalescent plasma transfusion, a century-old procedure that some say may become one of our best weapons against this devastating, new disease.

If you have recovered from Covid-19 and want to donate plasma, national and local donation registries are gearing up to collect blood.

To sign up with the American Red Cross, a national organization that works in local communities, head here.

To find out more about the The National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project, which we spoke about in our episode, including information on clinical trials or plasma donation projects in your community, go here.

And if you are in the greater New York City area, and want to donate convalescent plasma, head over to the New York Blood Center to sign up. Or, register with specific NYC hospitals here.

If you are sick with Covid-19, and are interested in participating in a clinical trial, or are looking for a plasma donor match, check in with your local hospital, university, or blood center for more; you can also find more information on trials at The National COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Project.

And lastly, Tatiana Prowell’s tweet that tipped us off is here.

This episode was reported by Molly Webster and produced by Pat Walters. Special thanks to Drs. Evan Bloch and Tim Byun, as well as the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Support Radiolab today at Radiolab.org/donate.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Oh wait, you're listening to radio lab from WNYC.

0:13.9

Oh dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, Molly Webster.

0:23.9

I wonder how long it'll ring for.

0:28.1

Hey.

0:29.1

Hi.

0:30.1

It rings for an awful long time before it makes it happen.

0:36.5

How do I sound?

0:38.3

You sound amazing.

0:39.3

Okay, great, because I'm quite a contrived setup right now, but...

0:44.7

Are you in your closet under blanket?

0:46.5

Yeah.

0:47.5

Got a desk mic from the station after my mic that I ordered got stolen off my front porch.

0:54.0

I want to do one thing.

0:55.3

I'm going to take off my hat.

0:56.5

Give me a second.

0:57.5

Take off the mic down.

1:00.2

Take off the...

1:02.2

I'm Chad Abymora.

1:03.2

This is Radio Lab.

1:04.2

That voice, of course, is Molly Webster.

1:06.3

This is dispatch number three, which has to do with a bit of science that I feel really

1:11.1

captures the spirit of this moment on so many levels.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from WNYC Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of WNYC Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.