Can you donate blood if you’ve had COVID? What about after a vaccine or booster?
Blood donations are in high demand, and you can help.
But you may be worried about donating blood after being infected with COVID-19, or maybe you recently received your vaccine booster and wonder if you need to wait a little while to donate.
We talked to Ellen Kirtner of The Blood Connection, a Raleigh blood bank providing for more than 80 hospitals in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to answer those questions.
Scroll to the bottom for a list of places in the Triangle where you can donate blood.
Is it safe to donate blood if you’ve had COVID before?
Yes. If you’ve had COVID, you just have to be 14 days without symptoms in order to donate blood, or, if you are asymptomatic, you must wait 14 days from the date of your positive test result.
Is it safe to donate blood if you’ve been vaccinated recently?
There is no deferral time after receiving the vaccine, Kirtner said, and donors who have received the Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna vaccines are eligible to donate blood.
However, donors must be feeling healthy and well to donate blood.
Can you donate blood if you currently have COVID?
No, you cannot donate blood if you currently have COVID-19.
All donors must be symptom-free for 14 days, and then must feel healthy and well upon the time of the donation.
How should you prepare to donate blood?
Donors must be feeling healthy and well to donate. Kirtner says it’s best to eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of water before donating blood.
What I feel faint around blood, but still want to donate?
Kirtner encourages those who get woozy around blood or needles to think about the patient receiving that blood product, and the many laughs, moments and time they get to spend with their loved ones. It’s a short amount of your time, she says, but can be a lifetime of a difference for someone else.
Where can you donate blood in Raleigh, Durham NC area?
The need for blood never stops, it can’t be manufactured or created in a lab, Kirtner says — it must come from volunteer donors. Blood donation centers encourage blood donors to show up for their community, especially during the holiday season.
Donors typically need to be 17 years old (or 16 with parental consent) and at least 110 pounds.
▪ Donors can make an appointment at The Blood Connection by going to thebloodconnection.org/donate or by calling 864-255-5000.
▪ You can also donate blood through the American Red Cross. Find a center by visiting redcrossblood.org.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 4:15 PM.
