The Oklahoma Blood Institute said that if you were one of the thousands of Oklahomans who recovered from COVID-19, if you got the vaccine, you would not be able to donate more recovery plasma.
Dr. Tuan Le, chief medical officer of the Oklahoma Blood Institute, said OBI is glad people are getting the vaccine, but it is bitterly sweet because now fewer people can donate recovery plasma.
“And hopefully it drives hospitalizations, and it is our hope, that the need for CCP also decreases, and that is something we are keeping an eye on,” Le said.
The number of recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine is increasing every day, but this means that the number of recovery plasma donors is declining.
The FDA has recommended that OBI not accept recovery plasma from anyone who has received the vaccine. Le said it was out of caution because not enough had been tested to determine the effects.
“It’s a combination that the FDA can deal with in a way, in terms of combining passive immunity or active immunity with vaccination,” Le said.
Although you cannot donate COVID recovery plasma if you have received the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, you can still donate blood, platelets or traditional plasma. If you receive the Astrazeneca vaccine, you can start blood donations again after two weeks.
Health leaders report that if you have received monoclonal antibodies, you have to wait 12 months to donate blood and that you are unable to donate recovery plasma.