MADURAI: A week after Express’ report titled ‘Will vax drive run blood banks dry?’, that appeared in these columns on April 30, the National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) has now reduced the deferral period of blood donation by those vaccinated against Covid, from 28 days to 14 days.
Express had earlier reported that the country’s blood banks could face a crisis, as most of the eligible donors who fall in the 18 to 44 age category would get inoculated against Covid from May 1 and would not be able to donate blood until 28 days of them taking either dose of the vaccine. Earlier in February, the NBTC had directed all blood banks in the country to defer collection from voluntary donors for 28 days post vaccination, irrespective of the type of vaccine.
Accordingly, a donor who takes the jab would not be able to donate blood for 28 days from each dose. In the case of a donor deciding to receive the second dose soon after the completion of four weeks (minimum interval between two doses of Covaxin and Covishield), the deferral period extends to 56 days.
Later, in a communication sent by the Tamil Nadu State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC) on April 27, by adopting the NTBC guidelines, the SBTC had urged all government blood banks in the State to encourage/motivate donors before being vaccinated. It further read, “Not being able to donate blood for the next two months when everyone is getting vaccinated shall result in a shortage of blood.”
A Chennai-based doctor whom Express spoke to had opined, “The NBTC should decrease the deferral period to 14 days to prevent such a shortage. WHO guidelines recommend a deferral period of 14 to 28 days only in case of live attenuated vaccines; but the two vaccines in India are not live attenuated ones. While Covaxin is an inactivated vaccine, produced using a killed virus, Covishield uses a weakened adenovirus.”
The doctor had further mentioned that the UK has only a seven-day deferral period if a donor receives the AstraZeneca vaccine (Covishield) and develops symptoms post vaccination. A week later, the Additional Director General of Blood Transfusion Services/National Blood Transfusion Council, Dr Sunil Gupta, issued an advisory (dated May 5) stating that an expert group was constituted in view of the fact that Covid vaccine was available for the general population above 18 years and since no live attenuated vaccine is in use in India. “After detailed deliberations among the expert group, it has been decided to reduce the deferral period to 14 days after receiving each/any dose of the currently available Covid vaccines in the country.”