People who previously had COVID can donate blood without transmitting the virus, according to a National Institute of Health study released Tuesday.
The findings show donors have a less than 1% chance of transmitting the virus as long as any COVID-related symptoms and infections cleared up 14 days prior to donating blood, per U.S Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
The agency's January 2021 guidelines require a physical screening for COVID symptoms and infections. Individuals who test positive for COVID antibodies but never developed symptoms or received an mRNA-based vaccine are able to donate without waiting 14 days. Anyone who tests positive for COVID must wait 14 days before donating, whether or not they have symptoms. There is no requirement to test donated blood samples. Researchers say the study proves current guidelines are successful at preventing against transmission.
"The findings are good news for the thousands of patients who may need a blood transfusion because of a surgery or disease," said Dr. Simone Glynn, who is chief of the blood epidemiology and clinical therapeutics branch at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
In the 257,809 blood samples collected only three came back positive for trace amounts of COVID, proving donors have a one in 100,000 chance of transmitting the virus. That is a nearly 0.001% chance, significantly less than the 62.3% chance associated with standing next to someone who is coughing in a room without a mask.
The study didn't find a single instance of COVID transmission through a blood transfusion, said Sonia Bakkour, a scientist at the Vitalant Research Institute,who analyzed blood samples for the study.
Similar studies in Pakistan, Korea, China, and France showed there is little risk of COVID contaminating the national blood supply, if guidelines are followed.
The results show that even donors who fear they may have COVID without experiencing symptoms or suffer from lingering effects of the virus can donate blood without compromising the national supply.
This fear led to thousands of blood drives canceled and blood supplies falling to critically low levels last March. Even as COVID cases and deaths related to COVID continue to fall, many remain nervous to donate blood.
The FDA eased restrictions on who can donate blood to drive up donations and universities are studying new method of preserving blood supply to prevent against waste.
As of June, 2021, 49% of blood collection centers nationwide are considered too low in supply to meet normal operating demands. About a quarter of the centers have less than a day's worth of blood. In Midwest blood centers, which account for more of the national blood supply than any other region, the majority have too low a supply to meet the current demand.
