at the peak of the covid-19 pandemic in new jersey, hackensack university medical center, rushed to stand up a distinct plasma study of its own, zeroing in on donors with the most potent antibodies. it began april 4th, and we joined them just days later to witness their breakneck battle against this deadly disease with the promise of plasma. it's early evening inhack, neeya 30 minute drive from midtown manhattan. medical oncologist michele donato, the principal investigator of the therapeutic study is armed with an arsenal of donated blood plasma loaded with potent antibodies. >> michele donato: this is convalescent for, sars cov-2. >> whitaker: doctor donato is engaged in an all-out battle to save patients, who have been flooding the hospital for two months now, from the relentless onslaught of the killer virus. this is what hope looks like in the depths of despair. you're watching this unfold in real time. >> donato: yeah. >> whitaker: what's-- what's that like for you? >> donato: it's really terrible. i mean, we want to get out of this. and maybe there's fewer patients coming into the

bell has made it to the couch to watch tv with his girls he's already put in a full day at hackensackl center in new jersey. like other ers across the country, most of the patients he treats have the coronavirus. >> the volume of critically ill patients has been unprecedented. >> reporter: bell thrives in the high-stress, pressure-filled days this pandemic brings. before he wore scrubs, his you know forge know, uniform was a football jersey. >> i got cut three times from the same team. you know, somebody from above is saying, yo, you're being hardheaded, you know? >> reporter: he pursued a career in medicine. his teammates now doctors and nurses battling this disease. hackensack has seen more than it 2,000 coronavirus patients since the pandemic started. >> i see how critical they are. it can happen to anybody. >> reporter: it came close to happening to him. earlier this year, bell treated a patient who later tested positive for covid-19. now the basement is where he goes after every shift. >> before i can see the family, i have it to come down here and decontaminate. >> reporter: the

>>those cheers motivation for bill as he battles his toughest opponent, yet bridging rest cnn hackensackew jersey. kron 4 is saluting the class of 2020 and every day we're shining the spotlight on graduates and tonight, we're highlighting. >>to madam satan is graduating from campbell and a high school in moraga and he will be attending you see santa cruz with plans to study game design at the baskin school of engineering way to done and all to the graduates in the class of 2020. that wraps up kron 4 news at 00:06pm tonight, i'm justine waldman our coverage will continue at 7 on kron-on that is our 24 hour local news streaming service that is free to download right now so you can stay informed and updated and all the big stories that are happening in the bay area and beyond. thank you for joining us tonight and we'll see you back here next time. usaa was made for right now. and right now, is a time for action. so, for a second time we're giving members a credit on their auto insurance. because it's the right thing to do. we're also giving payment relief options to eligible members so they

brynn gingras, cnn, hackensack, new jersey. >>> hello again, everyone. thank you for joining me.mp delivers the commencement address to west point graduates. more than 1,000 students now graduates gathered at the u.s. military college for a ceremony

hackensack has seen more than 2,000 covid patients. what it is like for you? >> well, they look like me, with no other medical issues and then i see, you know, how critical they are. then i was like, it can happen to anybody. >> reporter: it came close to happening to him. earlier this year, bell treated a patient who later tested positive for covid-19. he was quarantined in his basement away from his family for a week but didn't catch the virus. now, the basement is where he goes after every shift. >> before i can see the family, i have to come down here, decontaminate. >> reporter: the job comes with serious risks. to bell himself, his family and never held the fanfare that a professional football player might receive. until now. when every night he's celebrated for his work on the front lines by strangers and by former teammates like two-time super bowl winner howard griffith. >> each and every day he leaves the house to go out and help strangers and he's continued to embrace that and that's really who he has been for his entire life. he always wanted to he

. >> i was with a good friend last night who got covid early on he went to hackensack to give convalescentlasma. he said everybody who has had it must do it because despite what china says this is saving lives. you are on the frond lines -- front lines >> it seems like there is data suggesting it works. first time we worked with it was with ebola partnered with the gates foundation our first experience here was in europe with a partner and also in spain and switzerland as well we worked with our blood center hospitals and customers and provided the plasma to patients. >> it is anecdotal china stopped their study early. i don't trust the chinese. they have stopped trials before even though they might have been good will we have anything confirmed soon >> a number of randomized controls are underway in both europe and the u.s they should be reporting in the next weeks and months. krchb e cerus has employed ours across asia and other places. it is my belief that the blood centers are the unsung heroes of this pandemic and moving heaven and heart to make this plasma available to really sick pa

brynn gingras, cnn, hackensack, new jersey. >>> hello again, everyone. thank you for joining me. i'm fredricka whitfield. president trump delivers the commencement address to west point graduates. more than 1,000 students now graduates gathered at the u.s. military college for a ceremony unlike any before due to concerns over the spread of coronavirus. each now 2nd lieutenant wore a mask and socially distanced. >> i want to take this opportunity to thank all members of america's armed forces in every branch, athictive duty, national guard who helped step forward to battle the invisible enemy, the new virus that came to our shores from a distant land called china. we will vanquish the virus. we will extinguish this plague. >> the ceremony happening as the president makes an about-face on his upcoming tulsa oklahoma rally. he now says he will push back the event by one day. this after criticism the campaign rally was to take place on the day many african-americans commemorate for receiving news of the end of slavery in the u.s. that came two years after the official emancipation. t