It is safe to donate blood after being jabbed with the COVID-19 vaccine, as per the health professionals. Moreover, it is strongly recommended to donate it in this tough time as hospitals face a shortage of blood in the blood banks.
The American Red Cross reports that getting blood from someone who is vaccinated with any COVID-19 vaccine is safe and unscathed. With the ongoing pandemic, the organisation also stated the increasing need for blood and platelet donors in recent times.
Donating blood goes a long way in saving a life. Blood donation after COVID-19 vaccine is possible, and there is no need to worry about it. But in this pandemic, you must be aware of the safety rules before donating blood. Furthermore, if you are vaccinated, you need to know the right time to donate blood.
In India, both Covishield and Covaxin have a 2-dose regimen. The doses are registered four weeks apart for Covaxin and 84 days apart for Covishield. The deferral period between the first jab of the vaccine and blood donation has been reduced from four weeks to two weeks to prevent the escalating dearth of blood supply.
If health permits, then a vaccinated person can donate blood after 14 days of receiving the first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. We can donate blood after COVID-19 vaccination by keeping in mind the following time span.
Earlier in February, NBTC (National Blood Transfer Council) asked the blood banks to collect blood from the donors for 28 days post-vaccination regardless of the type of vaccine.