Vitalant plays a crucial role in providing blood products and transfusion services for hospital patients across the country. With the safety of our donors, patients, staff and volunteers our top priority, we continue to take important steps to support the health and well-being of everyone who supports our lifesaving mission, including social distancing when possible, regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces, staff monitoring for symptoms, and more.

Masking

Masks are optional except where required by blood drive host preferences or local regulations. Vitalant will continue to support those who need or prefer to wear a mask and will continue to have complimentary masks available.

The safety of donors, patients, staff and our volunteers is Vitalant’s top priority. Vitalant continues to follow rigorous safety and cleaning protocols, including:

  • Staff wearing gloves and frequently washing their hands.
  • Wiping down donor-touched and other high-touch areas frequently.
  • Requiring staff to diligently monitor for symptoms, stay home when they are ill or suspect illness.
Please do not donate blood if you are not feeling well. Blood donors are NOT tested to diagnose active coronavirus infection.


All healthy donors are urged to donate now. If you’ve had COVID-19 more than 10 days ago and your symptoms are resolving, you are eligible to donate. If you have received a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, you may give blood or platelets any time after your vaccination if you meet all general blood donation eligibility criteria.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The FDA, which sets blood safety standards in the U.S., allows people vaccinated with non-live vaccines to give blood without a waiting period. All currently authorized vaccines in the U.S. are non-live vaccines.
 
The human body contains about 10 pints of blood and about 1 pint is given with a blood donation. The antibodies within a blood donation are rapidly replaced by the immune system and will not affect the donor’s immune response to COVID-19 or variants.
 
COVID-19 continues to pose no known risk to patients receiving blood transfusions. There are no reported cases of transmission of this virus via blood transfusion. There is no inherent risk of getting coronavirus from the donation procedure itself.
 
If you’ve had COVID-19 more than 10 days ago and your symptoms are resolving, you are eligible to donate.
 
Vitalant supports anyone who needs to or prefers to wear a mask when donating at or visiting a blood drive or donation center. We will continue to have masks available for those who need one.
Vitalant will continue to honor donor requests for masked staff during the health history and the actual blood donation portion of your visit.