Now, donate blood after 14 days of jab

Balwant Garg

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Tribune News Service

Faridkot, May 6

With an impending crisis in blood banks, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday decided to reduce the deferral period for blood donors from 28 days to 14 after receiving each dose of the currently available Covid-19 vaccines.

Earlier, on March 5, the National Blood Transfusion Council had issued an advisory, mentioning a deferral period of 28 days following Covid-19 vaccination for the purpose of blood donation.

However, worried about the shortage of blood supply as the vaccination has already been started for the 18-44 age groups in some states and majority of blood donors being in this age group, many blood banks had approached the ministry some days back.

A group of experts deliberated on this ‘impending’ crisis and decided to reduce the deferral period from 28 to 14 days, sources said.

According to a letter, issued by Dr Sunil Gupta, Additional Director General in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Directorate General of Health Services, to all blood banks on Wednesday, the government had recently made Covid-19 vaccination available for the population above 18 years of age. After detailed deliberations, it was decided to reduce the deferral period from 28 to 14 days subject to the condition that the donor conforms to other norms for blood donation.

In the blood bank at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital here, against the average monthly donation of 1,400-1,500 units of blood, just 450 to 500 units were being received for the past month.

“To avoid being caught off guard, we are approaching NGOs to ask the people to donate blood before getting the jab,” a source said.