key: cord-0789485-5u1nvb4q authors: Gupta, Abhaykumar Malind title: Blood donor deferral periods after COVID-19 vaccination date: 2021-06-03 journal: Transfus Apher Sci DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2021.103179 sha: de2e56609be8682f03edacf9585424d49f330272 doc_id: 789485 cord_uid: 5u1nvb4q nan Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS Cov-2) is the biggest pandemic faced by human beings in recent times. One of the effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to develop herd immunity against the novel coronavirus by following the mass immunization program and for preventing the disease the vaccination program is being run at a never-seen-before scale. Routinely any vaccine may be live attenuated, non-live vaccines, or toxoid. Usually, the nonlive vaccines or toxoids do not have any deferral period for blood donations, whereas the live attenuated vaccine has a deferral period of 14-28 days. Since the start of the vaccination program, the majority of countries and organizations are following different deferral periods for blood donation after the COVID-19 vaccination. Here we summarise the different deferral periods followed at different places and their rationale behind it. Following are the guidelines issued by various organizations around the world (Table 1 ). [1] • Although consistent with current general global practice, recipients of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that do not contain live virus may donate blood if they feel well, as SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have been developed only recently, and in settings where deferrals would not compromise blood supply availability, a precautionary deferral period of up to seven days may be considered to minimize the impact of call-backs from donors who develop symptoms subsequent to donating soon after vaccination. • Recipients of live virus vaccines (e.g., virus vector based or live-attenuated virus vaccines) should be deferred for four weeks, consistent with current practices. • Persons who feel unwell after receiving a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine should be deferred for seven days after complete resolution of symptoms, or as specified after receipt of a virus vector-based or live-attenuated vaccine, whichever is the longer period. • Individuals who received a non-replicating, inactivated, or mrna-based COVID-19 vaccine can donate blood without a waiting period. • Individuals who received a live-attenuated viral COVID-19 vaccine, refrain from donating blood for a short waiting period (e.g., 14 days) after receipt of the vaccine. • Individuals who are uncertain about which COVID-19 vaccine was administered, refrain from donating for a short waiting period (e.g., 14 days) if it is possible that the individual received a live-attenuated viral vaccine. • Individuals who received a non-replicating, inactivated, or mrna-based COVID-19 vaccine can donate blood without a waiting period. • Individuals, who received a live-attenuated viral COVID-19 vaccine, refrain from donating blood for a short waiting period (e.g., 14 days) after receipt of the vaccine. • Individuals who are uncertain about which COVID-19 vaccine was administered, refrain from donating for a short waiting period (e.g., 14 days) if it is possible that the individual received a live-attenuated viral vaccine. 3. AABB [3] J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f • Individuals who received a non-replicating, inactivated, or mrna-based COVID-19 vaccine can donate blood without a waiting period. • Individuals, who received a live-attenuated viral COVID-19 vaccine, refrain from donating blood for a short waiting period (e.g., 14 days) after receipt of the vaccine. • Individuals who are uncertain about which COVID-19 vaccine was administered, refrain from donating for a short waiting period (e.g., 14 days) if it is possible that the individual received a live-attenuated viral vaccine. Services Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC) [4] a) Recipients of the COVID-19 vaccine, as part of the UK vaccination program. Must not donate if: Less than seven days after the most recent immunization was given. Must not donate if: • Less than four weeks after the most recent immunization was given, or • Still within any deferral period advised in the protocol for any clinical trial that the donor is enrolled in. • According to European Union Directives, after vaccination with attenuated viruses • In situations where information about vaccine type is missing or the vaccination is experimental, a four-week deferral period should be applied. 6 . Australian Red Cross Lifeblood [6] A blood donor needs to wait at least seven days after each COVID-19 vaccination to make sure that they have no side effects and are feeling healthy and well on the day of donation. If the donor had any side effects from the vaccine, then the donor should not donate until they have recovered. 7. Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) [7] A. For Inactivated viruses or vaccines that do not contain live agents, the deferral periods are as follows [8] The Donor Selection Criteria Manual working group (DSCM) conducted a review of the four Health Canada authorized vaccines for COVID-19 as well as those under development and determined they will not impact donation eligibility. 9 . Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) [9] • "Vaccinated people may donate blood 14 days after the first or second dose." The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) has said in a press statement. 10 . The National Blood transfusion Council (NBTC), India [10] Initially, the NBTC issued a recommendation for 28 days deferral after the second dose of the vaccine. On 5 th May 2021, the NBTC reduced the deferral period of blood donors to 14 days after receiving each/any dose of currently available COVID-19 vaccines in India (non-live vaccines). The vaccine deferral must be standardized throughout as more and more eligible blood donors will be vaccinated in the coming days. There are many organizations, which do not recommend any deferral period after the vaccine but there should be a deferral of at least a few days (preferably a week) so that the post-vaccine side effects are well tolerated and not The author declares no potential conflict of interest. Source of financial support in the form of grants Nil. Abhaykumar M. Gupta is associated with concept development, study design, collection and analysis of data, writing of the manuscript, and final approval of the manuscript. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. maintaining a safe and adequate blood supply and collecting convalescent plasma in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic United States Food and Drug Administration updated information for blood establishments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and blood donation Donation of CCP, Blood Components, and HCT/Ps, Including Information on COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatment with CCP, or Monoclonals Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee Change Notification No. 04 -2021 Coronavirus Vaccination -Applies to the Whole Blood and Components Donor Selection Guidelines European Centre for Disease Prevention Control Technical report, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and supply of substances of human origin in the EU/EEA -second update Australian Red Cross Lifeblood blood donation guidelines Singapore Health Sciences Authority, COVID-19 vaccine and blood donation guidelines available from Canadian blood services guidelines The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company statement. Available from The National Blood Transfusion Council (India) blood donation guidelines European Centre for Disease Prevention Control J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f [1] 28 7 to nil United States Food and Drug Administration [2] 14 Nil AABB [3] 14 Nil Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee [4] 28 7