HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Have you thought about donating blood, plasma or platelets lately, but recently got a COVID vaccine and don't know if you actually can?
There' s always a need for donations when it comes to blood, plasma, and platelets but with the pandemic coming around and rocking everyone's world, it brings up this question:
THE QUESTION
If you've recently been vaccinated against Covid-19, can you donate these blood, plasma, and platelets?
THE SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND OUT
DONATING BLOOD AND PLATELETS
If you're really looking to donate something, there's good news when it comes to blood.
Dr. Karen Landers with Alabama Dept. of Public Healh has an answer. She says, "There's really not [a problem].You can get your vaccine today and give blood that afternoon."
The same goes for platelets. There is no waiting time when it comes to donating them.
PLASMA vs. CONVALESCENT PLASMA
Let's focus on something called convalescent plasma, which got a lot of publicity at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as a possible treatment for the virus.
Kami May, Community Development Coordinator for LifeSouth, says, "We are no longer accepting convalescent plasma from those who have received the vaccine only because that is considered artificial antibodies."
She also says that there is simply not enough research out there when it comes to these kinds of plasma donations and the vaccine.
There's also not much of a need for this kind of plasma right now anyway. May explained, "We're not saying you cannot donate plasma. Plasma and convalescent plasma are two different things. so, you definitely still can donate plasma, if you have received the COVID-19 vaccine. We're just no longer even collecting convalescent plasma because the FDA is now said that they don't really need it."
So can you donate plasma after receiving a COVID vaccine? Yes. Regular plasma is used to treat a variety of things and convalescent plasma treats things specifically.
DOES DONATING AFFECT THE VACCINE'S EFFECTIVENESS?
Again, Dr. Karen Landers. She says, "Persons who have had COVID vaccine who wish to donate blood can certainly proceed and donate blood as they normally would. There is no change in vaccine efficacy from blood donation whatsoever."
So we can verify: You cannot donate convalescent plasma after vaccination, but it's okay cause because according to the FDA, they have enough.
But when it comes to regular plasma, blood and platelets, you can donate without a wait or diminishing the effectiveness of the vaccine.