WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — More than half of Iowans eligible to get vaccinated have received the COVID-19 shot. As the number of people vaccinated goes up, a lot of people are wondering how the vaccine can impact their lives.
Claims going around online are making it into Local 5's inbox.
THE QUESTION
If you are vaccinated, are you allowed to give blood?
THE SOURCES
- The American Red Cross
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Danielle West with LifeServe Blood Center
THE ANSWER
Yes, vaccinated individuals can donate blood. In some cases, you may be asked to provide the name of your vaccine, but just because you have tested positive in the past or have received the coronavirus vaccine doesn't mean you cannot give blood or plasma.
WHAT WE FOUND
The American Red Cross gave guidance in April 2021 to this question.
As long as donors are symptom-free, feeling well and can provide the name of the vaccine they received, there isn't a waiting period to give blood or plasma.
The FDA advises that "individuals who received a nonreplicating, inactivated, or mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine can donate blood without a waiting period."
The Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines all fall under the above categories.
Danielle West with LifeServe has seen this claim going around online, suggesting vaccinated individuals either have to wait or cannot donate blood anytime.
But it's false.
"The COVID vaccine does not impact their eligibility to donate blood," West said. "So they could actually get vaccinated today and come back and donate that same day if they would like."
So we can Verify: vaccinated individuals are eligible to donate blood as long as they are feeling well and don't have any COVID-19 symptoms.