{"id":558478,"date":"2021-06-09T17:06:19","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T21:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=558478"},"modified":"2021-06-09T17:06:20","modified_gmt":"2021-06-09T21:06:20","slug":"fact-check-is-the-american-red-cross-refusing-blood-donations-from-people-who-have-received-covid-19-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-is-the-american-red-cross-refusing-blood-donations-from-people-who-have-received-covid-19-vaccines\/","title":{"rendered":"FACT CHECK: Is The American Red Cross Refusing Blood Donations From People Who Have Received COVID-19 Vaccines?"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffact-check-is-the-american-red-cross-refusing-blood-donations-from-people-who-have-received-covid-19-vaccines%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=558478&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1232444838-scaled-e1623271272918.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"  style=\"display:none\"><\/div>\n<p>An image <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/judithmarie.lambgreene\/posts\/121014093465682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shared on Facebook<\/a> claims the American Red Cross \u201creports that vaccinated people cannot donate blood because the vaccine completely destroys their natural antibodies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Verdict: False<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The American Red Cross states on its website that people who have received COVID-19 vaccines can donate blood. COVID-19 vaccines work with the body\u2019s natural defenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).<\/p>\n<p><span><strong>Fact Check:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/facts.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Misinformation<\/a> related to COVID-19 vaccines is widespread and can, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.paho.org\/en\/news\/21-4-2021-misinformation-fueling-vaccine-hesitancy-paho-director-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pan American Health Organization<\/a>, fuel vaccine hesitancy. One claim circulating online recently alleges the American Red Cross is not accepting blood donations from people who have received COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmerican Red Cross reports that vaccinated people cannot donate blood because the vaccine completely destroys their natural antibodies,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/judithmarie.lambgreene\/posts\/121014093465682\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reads<\/a> one Facebook post. \u201cARC need donors that are unvaxx\u2019ed with natural immunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This claim is not accurate, according to information available on the American Red Cross website. On its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcrossblood.org\/local-homepage\/news\/article\/covid-19-vaccination-guide-blood-donation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u201cCan I donate after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine?\u201d webpage<\/a>, the organization explicitly states people who received COVID-19 vaccines \u201ccan still donate blood, platelets and AB Elite plasma.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcross.org\/about-us\/news-and-events\/news\/2021\/answers-to-common-questions-about-covid-19-vaccines-and-blood-platelet-plasma-donation-eligibility.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Another American Red Cross webpage<\/a> dedicated to answering questions about the eligibility of donors who have been vaccinated states, \u201cIn most cases, there is no blood, platelet or plasma donation deferral time after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The American Red Cross states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcrossblood.org\/local-homepage\/news\/article\/covid-19-vaccination-guide-blood-donation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on its website<\/a> that \u201cthere is no deferral time for eligible blood donors who are vaccinated with a non-replicating inactivated or RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca, Janssen\/J&#038;J, Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer.\u201d Blood donors who received a \u201clive attenuated COVID-19 vaccine or do not know what type of COVID-19 vaccine they received\u201d must wait two weeks to give blood, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcrossblood.org\/local-homepage\/news\/article\/covid-19-vaccination-guide-blood-donation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">American Red Cross website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The U.K.\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blood.co.uk\/news-and-campaigns\/news-and-statements\/coronavirus-covid-19-updates\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Health Service Blood and Transplant<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeblood.com.au\/coronavirus-update\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Australian Red Cross<\/a>, have deferral periods for those who have received COVID-19 vaccines and wish to donate blood, but it\u2019s not because the vaccines \u201cdestroy\u201d natural antibodies.\u00a0The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifeblood.com.au\/coronavirus-update\">Australian Red Cross website<\/a> explains that its deferral period is to \u201cmake sure you have had no side effects and are feeling healthy and well on the day of donation.\u201d Possible side effects from COVID-19 vaccines include soreness at the site of the injection, fatigue, headache, chills, fever and nausea, according to the CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/expect\/after.html\">website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The notion that a COVID-19 vaccine \u201ccompletely destroys\u201d a person\u2019s \u201cnatural antibodies\u201d doesn\u2019t hold up under scrutiny either. The <a href=\"https:\/\/search.cdc.gov\/search\/index.html?query=vaccine+natural+antibodies&#038;sitelimit=coronavirus%2F2019-nCoV&#038;utf8=%E2%9C%93&#038;affiliate=cdc-main\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CDC<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/home\/search?indexCatalogue=genericsearchindex1&#038;searchQuery=COVID-19%20natural%20antibodies&#038;wordsMode=AnyWord&#038;healthtopic=undefined&#038;country=undefined\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WHO<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcross.org\/search-the-red-cross-site.html\/search?term=COVID-19%20vaccine&#038;page=1&#038;start=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">American Red Cross<\/a> do not mention anything to that effect on their websites.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the CDC states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/coronavirus\/2019-ncov\/vaccines\/facts.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">on its website<\/a> that COVID-19 vaccines \u201cwork with the body\u2019s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.\u201d The WHO also explains on its website that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/q-a-detail\/vaccines-and-immunization-what-is-vaccination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vaccines<\/a> \u201creduce risks of getting a disease by working with your body\u2019s natural defenses to build protection,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/q-a-detail\/herd-immunity-lockdowns-and-covid-19\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">as well as<\/a> \u201ctrain our immune systems to create proteins that fight disease, known as \u2018antibodies\u2019, just as would happen when we are exposed to a disease but \u2013 crucially \u2013 vaccines work without making us sick.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Experts also refuted the claim about COVID-19 vaccines destroying a recipient\u2019s natural antibodies in emails to Check Your Fact. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/checkyourfact.com\/2021\/04\/29\/fact-check-american-red-cross-plasma-donations-covid-vaccine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Viral Image Claims The Red Cross Is Not Accepting Plasma Donations From People Who Received COVID-19 Vaccines)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no truth to it as stated,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/william-hanage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">William P. Hanage<\/a>, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, when asked about the post\u2019s claim that the COVID-19 vaccine destroys a recipient\u2019s natural antibodies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t understand the biological basis for the terms \u2018destroy your natural antibodies,&#8217;\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/profiles.stanford.edu\/yvonne-maldonado?tab=bio\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yvonne Maldonado<\/a>, a professor of global health and infectious diseases at Stanford University. \u201cIn my view this is gibberish.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An image shared on Facebook claims the American Red Cross \u201creports that vaccinated people cannot donate blood because the vaccine completely destroys their natural antibodies.\u201dVerdict: False The American Red Cross &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2279789,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1232444838-scaled-e1623271272918.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"FACT CHECK: Is The American Red Cross Refusing Blood Donations From People Who Have Received COVID-19 Vaccines?","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-558478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/GettyImages-1232444838-scaled-e1623271272918.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"FACT CHECK: Is The American Red Cross Refusing Blood Donations From People Who Have Received COVID-19 Vaccines?","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=558478"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/558478\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2279789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=558478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=558478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=558478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}