If you receive the COVID-19 vaccine, can you still donate convalescent plasma?

SAN ANTONIO – As the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations continues to increase in Bexar County, there is still a great need for convalescent plasma to treat the disease. The new vaccines are an effective tool against COVID-19, but you will no longer be able to donate convalescent plasma if you receive one.

Dr. Samantha Gomez Ngamsuntikul, associate medical director at BioBridge Global, said vaccines and convalescent plasma do not mix exactly.

“If you donate COVID convalescent plasma and receive the vaccine, you cannot donate convalescent plasma,” Ngamsuntikul said.

The US Food and Drug Administration explains that it is unclear whether the quality of the immune response in that plasma is as effective as the plasma in people who have fought the virus without the vaccine.

However, because the vaccines currently available do not include the virus itself, Ngamsuntikul said you will still be eligible to donate blood.

“For the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, these are mRNA vaccines and there is currently no expectation of donation,” said Ngamsuntikul. “You can still donate whole blood and platelets.”

Ngamsuntik says it is crucial to donate blood right now.

“To make sure we have enough blood for our local community,” she said.

You can schedule a donation meeting with the Blood and Tissue Center of South Texas by calling 210-731-5590 or visiting southtexasblood.org.

click here for more coverage of the COVID-19 vaccine from KSAT.