DR. WALLACE: I'm not sure what the difference is between blood and plasma or how one of them could help when someone has COVID-19. I was hoping you could explain it to me. I might want to make a plasma donation if I qualify and if it's safe to do so. I also want to understand more about what I would potentially be giving away to help someone else. — Want to Stay Safe, via email

WANT TO STAY SAFE: The Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma therapy for people with COVID-19. Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. About 55% of your blood is plasma; the remaining 45% of your blood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets suspended in the plasma.

There are usually antibodies in your plasma if you've recovered from COVID-19, and this plasma can be given to patients to boost their ability to fight the disease.

In a plasma-only donation, blood is drawn from one arm and sent through a machine that collects the plasma. Then, the red blood cells and platelets are returned to the donor. The whole process only takes a few more minutes than donating whole blood.

Find out if you are available to donate at www.coronavirus.gov.

SUMMERTIME WOULD BE BETTER

DR. WALLACE: I'm 17 and want to marry my boyfriend and life partner. In about four months, we will both turn 18, but we kind of don't want to wait any more.

In our state, minors need parental permission to get married, and this is not something we want to present to our parents. We would prefer to just go off on our own and get married and then announce it later. We were hoping you might know of a state that would marry us at 17, or if there is a shortcut or loophole that we could use to get hitched as early as the first week of April. - Marriage-Minded, via email

MARRIAGE-MINDED: I write this column and give advice to teenagers on a variety of topics, but I always seek to give earnest, practical and law-abiding advice. Therefore, I will not be presenting any shortcuts or loopholes to you, since my aim is to never provide advice that goes against current laws.

We have a Congress that makes laws that we must all follow, and that's the way it should be.

Having said all of that, I do have some advice for the two of you. Why not wait the four short months until you are both of legal marrying age in your area?

Instead of an April wedding, you can look forward to one this summer; it will also give each of you four more months to be sure you are both making the right decision individually.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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