Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson to donate blood for coronavirus research
Just because he has recovered from coronavirus, it does not mean Tom Hanks is going to sit back and relax. The veteran Hollywood actor and wife Rita Wilson, who contracted the deadly virus in early March, became symbols of hope after they successfully defeated it and returned home soon after. They are now planning to donate blood for coronavirus vaccine research efforts.
"We have not only been approached, we have said, 'Do you want our blood? Can we give plasma?'", Hanks said during a recent interview with NPR's Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! program. Notably, the blood plasma of recovered patients is rich in antibodies and can therefore help fight off the virus. While the usage is experimental, researchers hope this method proves to be effective.
Jokingly, Hanks added, "In fact, we will be giving it now to the places that hope to work on what I would like to call the 'Hank-ccine'." The two-time Oscar award-winning actor also promised to make the 'Hank-ccine' widely-available. "I'm not trying to hog it with copyright," he said. Well, of course, he's not. He is called Hollywood's nicest guy for a reason.
Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson tested positive for the coronavirus in March. At the time, the couple was in Australia, where Wilson had a few concerts and Hanks started filming the Elvis Presley biopic. In the biographical movie by Baz Luhrmann, Hanks is playing Presley's long-time manager Colonel Tom Parker. Fully recovered, they returned to the US two weeks after that.
Given his repute, Hanks donating blood for coronavirus research comes as no surprise. You can't keep the man away from good causes for too long. Even during his time in quarantine, Hanks kept spirits high by regularly posting updates about his treatment and offering doses of hope. He also recently gifted his beloved typewriter to a young Australian boy, bullied for his name, Corona.
Coming back to the virus, experts believe that it will take 12-18 months to ready a vaccine for public treatment, implying the research is still in early stage. Meanwhile, the coronavirus pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world. US remains the worst-affected nation with over 10 lakh cases. Across the globe, the pandemic has killed 211,631 and infected more than 30 lakh.
