'Vaccinated' Blood Donations

Key Points:

• Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center found a rise in requests for directed blood donations from unvaccinated donors, driven by patients' refusal to receive blood from vaccinated individuals, despite no evidence that vaccinated blood poses any risk.
• Between 2024 and 2025, 48 directed donations were made at the request of 15 recipients concerned about vaccinated blood, with an increase from 4 cases in 2024 to 11 in 2025, including several involving children.
• The demand for unvaccinated blood led to delays in care and serious complications in some cases, such as patients going into shock or having to postpone surgeries, highlighting potential dangers of this unnecessary practice.
• Directed donations from family members, often first-time donors, may carry higher risks of infectious diseases and require additional processing, further complicating and delaying treatment.
• Despite being rare, these requests could become more common as some GOP politicians push legislation to expand access to unvaccinated blood, including proposals for state-run unvaccinated blood banks.