Vitalant - COVID FAQs

Find answers here to commonly asked questions about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it (SARS-CoV-2) in relation to blood donation and what Vitalant is doing to keep donors, blood drive coordinators, volunteers, staff and patients safe. If you have a question not covered here, please visit our donor eligibility page, call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825) or email us at getinvolved@vitalant.org.

If you've received any COVID-19 vaccine, you may still give blood or platelets if you meet all general blood donation eligibility criteria.

Quite simply, we couldn’t fulfill our lifesaving mission without you. We’re in this for the long term and we’re asking you to do the same. Thank you for stepping up and helping patients in need. We’re counting on your goodwill, partnership and willingness to help others now and in the future. Thank you! Schedule your appointment now.

GENERAL

UP-TO-DATE DONOR ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Please do not donate blood if you are not feeling well. Blood donors are NOT tested to diagnose active coronavirus infection.

How do I know whether I’m eligible to give blood? Where can I go to get the latest information?

Only healthy people can give blood. Vitalant is constantly updating our eligibility criteria as new information emerges from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and blood bank industry leaders. Please visit our website for the latest donation eligibility information.

We are sharing up-to-date information about coronavirus and donation eligibility with our donors and the public via our website, various communications (like email, text, phone calls) and social media.

I have an appointment to give blood soon. Should I keep it? I’m trying to schedule an appointment to give blood, but I cannot get through to someone on the phone (or there are no appointments available). Do you really need the blood? I’m over 65 years old—should I still donate? Because of the constant need for blood, can I give sooner than your interval criteria allow?

PROTECTING DONORS, STAFF, COORDINATORS AND PATIENTS

What is Vitalant doing to protect donors, blood drive coordinators, volunteers and staff? Can people get coronavirus from a blood transfusion? If I give blood, will it weaken my immune system to fight off coronavirus? Will giving blood reduce COVID-19 antibody levels in blood donors? Should I donate blood to get tested for Coronavirus? What should I do if I feel fine when I donate blood but then start feeling sick later? How can I protect myself from getting coronavirus? If you can be asymptomatic and contagious, how do you know your staff are healthy? Do you test your staff for coronavirus? Do you take the temperature of your staff members to see if they’re sick? Are you enforcing self-quarantine for your staff? Do your staff members wear masks? Should donors wear masks? I’m a donor and I don’t want to wear a mask / I have a medical condition that makes it difficult or impossible to wear a mask. Can I still donate? With all the talk about coronavirus, are you canceling blood drives? I live with a (doctor, nurse, health professional). Can I donate? Can they? Can someone who has had coronavirus donate blood once they have recovered? What is “convalescent plasma” and how does it help patients battling COVID-19? Is Vitalant involved in any COVID-19 research?

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Blood Donation

Welcome, Donor!

Frequently Asked Questions – COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus)

GENERAL

PROTECTING DONORS, STAFF, COORDINATORS AND PATIENTS

COVID-19 Safety Precautions

Welcome, Donor!

Frequently Asked Questions – COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus)

GENERAL

PROTECTING DONORS, STAFF, COORDINATORS AND PATIENTS