Does Blood Donation Expose You To COVID-19 Infection? COVID-19 pandemic affected the blood donation drive to a large extent and forced people to avoid any contact with other people. But does blood donation put you at risk of COVID-19 infection?
World Donor Day is observed on June 14 every year to raise awareness of the necessity for safe transfusion of blood and blood products. It aims at encouraging people to volunteer as blood donors as it can help save millions of lives. Donating blood is a wonderful act that not only saves lives and helps manage certain health conditions, but it also has its own set of health advantages for the donor. Helping others can lower stress levels and increase mental well-being. Donating blood also aids in the formation of new blood cells, reduces the risk of heart attack and liver disease, lowers cholesterol, and even slows the ageing process.
But this act of kindness came to a sudden halt when the pandemic struck the world. During the pandemic, blood donation unexpectedly scared people and they backed out from donating their blood. While COVID infections have subsided, the fear of contracting the disease still lingers. If you are also confused about how blood donation might affect your COVID-19 infection status, then keep on reading.
Does Blood Donation Expose You To COVID-19 Infection?
Dr Harpreet Kaur, HOD of Transfusion Medicine(Blood Bank) & Senior Consultant Pathology, Aakash Healthcare, Dwarka says, “Every day, we need blood and blood products to help cancer patients, sick patients, new moms and newborns, people with immune deficiencies or blood diseases, people who require surgery, and those who have been in a car accident. As we commemorate World Blood Donor Day, it’s vital to remember that blood donation is a completely safe procedure. Additional safety steps have been introduced by healthcare authorities, particularly post-covid. Covid-19 poses no additional danger to blood donors throughout the donation process or when they attend blood drives. During the pandemic, many hospitals implemented a number of measures in accordance with the National Blood Transfusion Committee’s standards to ensure the safety of personnel, donors, and patients. As a result, anyone who wishes to donate blood can do so without any hesitancy.”
“According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blood transfusions are lifesaving procedures that take place every day in hospitals. In India, we have more than 1,50,000 registered blood donors, who are playing a major role in the country’s blood supply. Without ready access to the supply of blood, a needy person cannot go through life-saving blood transfusion procedures. However, it has been seen that due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic there is a dramatic reduction in blood donation during the lockdown. The stay-at-home and social distancing policies have put pressure on the supply of blood not only in India but also across the world. Therefore, it’s our social responsibility to come out and donate blood in a safe way which doesn’t increase the risk of passing or contracting any infection,” said Dr Swati Bhardwaj, Blood Centre In Charge, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre.
So, It Is Safe For Blood Donors
With extensive infection control protocols in place, doctors recommend that it is completely safe to donate blood. Since both donors and staff must wear surgical masks during the donation process, social distancing is still maintained, doctors opine that you should not delay the selfless deed. Just keep in mind the COVID-19 protocols and donate blood to save lives!
Also read: The alternative medicines that actually work, according to the world’s leading expert
