Widened vaccinations lead to blood bank shortage fears

The National Blood Transfusion Council mandates that a person can donate blood 28 days after their last Covid vaccine jab.

With Covid-19 vaccinations for people aged 18-44 set to begin from May 1, blood banks and patients with blood-related disorders said they are concerned about the availability of blood due to rules that disallow an inoculated person from donating blood for 28 days after their jab. As a result, blood banks and non-governmental bodies are asking people to donate blood before getting vaccinated, with lower turnouts — due to the alarming spike and subsequent lockdown — causing reserves to deplete fast.

While the current shortage had made arranging blood difficult for patients of thalassemia and other blood-related illnesses, officials worry that the shortages may get more severe once the Covid-19 vaccination programme opens up on Saturday. (File photo)

The National Blood Transfusion Council mandates that a person can donate blood 28 days after their last Covid vaccine jab.

“There are no blood donation camps, and the number of voluntary donations has also dropped significantly,” said Vanshree Singh, blood bank director, Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS).

While the current shortage had made arranging blood difficult for patients of thalassemia and other blood-related illnesses, they worry that the shortages may get more severe once the Covid-19 vaccination programme opens up on Saturday.

“Thalassemia patients need fresh blood (donated within a 7 to 10-day period) for transfusion. People aged between 18 and 45 donate blood most frequently. But few people come in for donations, and we worry this number will decrease in the coming days,” said Shobha Tuli, secretary of Thalassemics India.

Tuli has written to the Union health ministry, asking it to review the 28-day deferral period. “The rule will result in a shortage of blood and create problems for thalassemia patients. The government should either revise it or give us a plan to maintain the supply of fresh blood for patients who need transfusion regularly,” Tuli said.

The Union health ministry did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

Blood banks in Delhi say that though there is no shortage of blood right now, their stocks are rapidly running out.

Dr Dinesh Deepak Joshi, president of the Lions Blood Bank, said: “Currently, we are facing a huge problem providing blood to our thalassemia patients from our two banks. We used to get more than 2,000 donations in a month, which has now come down to just 100.”