Blood Donations from COVID-19 Vaccine Recipients Are Safe, Contrary to Online Claims
Facts And Fact Checking,Healthcare,Coronavirus Vaccine,Blood Donations
People vaccinated with an authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine can donate blood immediately after receiving a shot if they’re feeling well. Social media posts distort a question from the American Red Cross to baselessly claim the vaccines are unsafe.
Nearly two years after related claims about COVID-19 vaccination and blood donation first surfaced, posts on social media are now pointing to a blood donation screening question to falsely suggest the vaccines are unsafe.
Multiple Feb. 20 posts shared a screenshot of a question included in RapidPass, a pre-donation tool the American Red Cross uses to streamline the blood donation process. The question asks if a person has “EVER had a Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.” Those who answer “yes” are told to call the Red Cross “to determine if this will affect” their eligibility to donate. The posts incorrectly imply the question is new and could mean the vaccines are not safe.
“American Red Cross tacitly admits the COVID vaccines are not safe. Finally,” Steve Kirsch, a well-known misinformation spreader, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, sharing one such post (emphasis is his).
