Blood donor eligibility after COVID-19 vaccination: the current state of recommendations

Abstract

The medical screening practices for blood donor eligibility after vaccination against several conventional infectious agents are well known to blood transfusion centres worldwide. Classically, blood donations are contraindicated for four weeks after vaccination with a live attenuated virus vaccine. For other types of vaccines, no postponement is necessary as there is no proven infectious risk. But for the COVID-19 vaccine, besides the classic platforms for the vaccine, two new types of vaccine platforms have been developed and based on viral vectors vaccines and vaccines from viral genetic material. Thus, blood establishments could be worried that these COVID-19 vaccine production platforms can pose any particular safety concerns for recipients of blood or blood products from vaccinated subjects. Our work aims to provide professionals in blood transfusion centres with all the available information to clarify any confusion relating to the need or not to defer donors who have received a COVID-19 vaccination. So in this paper, we provide an international review of the data available to date about the recommendations of international scientific societies about blood donation after COVID-19 vaccination, all types of COVID-19 vaccines included. We also present some experiences of blood transfusion establishments worldwide concerning this topic and among them our institution, the Moroccan National Centre for Blood Transfusion and Haematology.