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Wednesday, Apr. 14, 2021

Is the Red Cross not accepting plasma donations from people who have had COVID-19 vaccines?

Alexis Tereszcuk, Lead Stories
no

A claim on social media concerning Red Cross plasma donations is misleading.

The Red Cross is still accepting whole blood, platelets and plasma from individuals who have received a COVID-19 vaccine. However, the agency was not, in April 2021, accepting donation from people wanting to specifically give their "convalescent plasma" due to new guidelines released by the Food and Drug Administration.

Convalescent plasma is plasma that is taken from people who have recovered from a disease (COVID-19) and the blood is "presumed to have antibodies for that disease. These antibodies are what helped the person fight off the initial infection," according to Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

The Red Cross website clearly states that it is only "convalescent plasma" that is not accepted.

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