Donate blood before taking Covid vaccine, urges body

Fearing a possible shortage of blood in the coming days, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has requested probable beneficiaries to donate blood before getting the jab as they will not be eligible for donation for 28 days after taking the first shot of the vaccine

Fearing a possible shortage of blood in the coming days, the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) has requested probable beneficiaries to donate blood before getting the jab as they will not be eligible for donation for 28 days after taking the first shot of the vaccine.

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Starting from 1 April, people above 45 years old will be able to take vaccines against novel coronavirus. Though doctors across the state have welcomed the move which may contribute to containing the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, blood bank officers are quite concerned as it can contribute to further shortage of blood.

A recent order by the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) has said that a person cannot donate blood for the next 28 days after taking the last dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Beneficiaries have to take two shots of vaccines. So, considering the new guidelines, a beneficiary cannot donate for 56 days after taking the two jabs.

At present, the state has 29,000 units of blood. Blood bank officers fear this new rule may further affect the collection of blood as lakhs of public above 45 years would get inoculated from Thursday.

“The demand for blood has increased with the relaxation of lockdown. Now, hospitals are treating both Covid and non-Covid patients. So, we need more donors which are struggling to arrange due to the restrictions on blood camps in the pandemic. Thus, I would request to donate blood before taking the vaccine,” said Dr Arun Thorat, director of SBTC.

“Unlike post-Covid days, we can’t arrange large blood camps as it attracts a large crowd. Also, all schools and colleges are closed so we can’t collect blood from youths who were the primary blood donors. Rather than providing some relaxation, the central government has imposed more stringent rules,” said a blood bank officer from a civic-run hospital.

Two vaccines ‒ Oxford’s Covishield manufactured by Serum Institute in the country and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin – have been approved by the national drug regulator for restricted emergency use in India.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers getting inoculated. From February 2, the frontline workers were added to the list. In the next phase that commenced from March 1, individuals above 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with co-morbidities were enrolled.