Questions also arising about changes to HIV screening rules
The demand for unvaccinated blood is on the rise, a blood products and services provider said.
Kirby Winn, public relations manager of ImpactLife, says that while the hospitals his company serves have not expressed any interest in receiving unvaccinated blood, he has noticed the demand for “pure blood” rising from the general population.
According to its website, ImpactLife provides blood products and services to more than 120 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
“We have a lot of conversations with people who have questions and concerns about this,” Winn told The Epoch Times.
However, he acknowledged that those who ask questions about receiving blood from vaccinated donors “might not be satisfied with the answers.”
In a joint statement (pdf) issued on Jan. 26, the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies, America’s Blood Centers, and the American Red Cross vouched for the safety of America’s blood supply, assuring the public that “vaccines do not pose a risk to patients receiving blood transfusions.”
As Winn explained, blood providers nationally “are confident that this is the right position” and they “continue to monitor blood transfusion-related incidents with the recipients of blood transfusions through a process called hemovigilance.”
“As far as the medical treatment goes, it’s not relevant if the donor is vaccinated or not vaccinated for COVID and we don’t track it,” Winn said. “When people come in to give blood we don’t ask the question, ‘Have you received a COVID vaccine or have you not received a COVID- vaccine.’”
Vaccinated Donors
The Jan. 26 joint statement also assured the public that because “there is no scientific evidence that demonstrates adverse outcomes” from blood transfusions from vaccinated donors, there is “no medical reason to distinguish or separate blood donations from individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccination.”
However, the Red Cross states on its website that donors who received a COVID-19 vaccine will “need to provide the manufacturer name” when they come to donate.
“Upon vaccination, you should receive a card or printout indicating what COVID-19 vaccine was received, and we encourage you to bring that card with you to your next donation,” the Red Cross advises. “In most cases, there is no deferral time for individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are symptom-free and feeling well at the time of donation.”
