Donating during the pandemic

Tested positive for Covid-19
If you have tested positive for COVID-19, you can donate when at least 28 days have passed following your recovery of symptoms. You may be left with a dry cough, but as long as you feel well, you can then donate.

Symptoms of Covid-19 but not had a test
If you have had symptoms of Covid-19 but have not had a test, you can donate when at least 28 days have passed following your recovery of symptoms.

If you have been in self-isolation because of contact with someone who is unwell, you cannot donate until:

• • 14 days from the first day of isolation if you remain symptom free.
  • 28 days following resolution of any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 you may have developed whilst in self-isolation.
  • If you have been in contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or is showing symptoms suggestive of the disease, but you have not been advised to self-isolate, you can continue to donate as long as you are well.
  • If you have travelled to an area that requires you to quarantine when you return, you must wait for 10 days following your return to the UK before you donate, as long as you remain well.

If you are experiencing symptoms of ‘long covid’, for your own health and wellbeing please do not donate until you are fully fit and well.

Please contact us to discuss any cardiac issues that you have experienced as a result of Covid-19 infection prior to making your appointment.

In all instances, if you donate, it is important that you report any illnesses that you develop in the 14 days post donation.

If you have had a routine covid test, for example, one undertaken in your workplace, following contact with a positive case, following travel or prior to attending concerts, provided the result was negative and you are symptom free you will be able to donate.

We would advise you not to donate at this time if this applies to you.

If you are fully self-isolating as a household due to a person in the household being in a vulnerable group then please do not attend. If you are not attending please cancel your appointment if you have one.

We do not control the rules and regulations around blood donation.

Our current donation intervals still stand for donations, this allows time for the body to restore iron levels, haemoglobin levels and red blood cell levels.

In line with Public Health advice and Welsh Government guidance there is a requirement for donors to wear a face covering unless an exemption applies, whilst attending our donation sessions.

Yes, we will provide you with a medical grade face mask that we will ask you to wear whilst at the donation clinic.

Donors who are exempt from wearing a face covering are able to donate without a face covering.

We are currently asking donors to wear one of the medical grade face masks provided.

A visor or face shield is not considered as a face covering as they fit loosely over the eyes and extend down over but do not cover the nose and mouth.

There are brief periods of time within the donation process where you will be required to lower your face covering, this includes during the screening assessment and when taking post donation refreshments. Outside of these occasions we would request that you leave your face covering in place.

We would also advise you to ensure that you sanitise your hands with hand sanitiser available within the session after touching your face covering.

Donors who attend wearing disposable gloves will be asked to remove them at triage prior to entering the clinic. They will also need to wash their hands or use the hand sanitiser at that point.

We follow strict guidelines and controls to reduce the risk of any infections being contracted at our clinics; this includes strict screening processes that ensures donors are fit and healthy before they make a donation.

All donors are pre-screened before they enter the clinic environment in a separate triage area.

In addition to the usual health and safety precautions for our staff and donors (which include using sterile collection sets for every donation and preparing the arm with an aseptic cleanser), spacing between donor seats and seats at the recovery tea table has been increased to comply with Public Health Wales guidance, our teams follow strict hygiene protocols when cleaning equipment and with the wearing of PPE (face masks, aprons and eye protection) and with the regular use of hand sanitiser gel.

From the point a donor arrives at clinic, we have social distancing provisions in place.

These include:

• • 2m markers when you are waiting to be triaged,
  • 2m spacing of chairs you sit on to complete your questionnaire.
  • donation chairs are spaced at least 2m apart as are chairs at our post donation recovery tea tables.

For safety reasons, during Covid-19 we’re asking that, where possible, only those giving blood enter the donation session.

If this poses you with an issue please contact our Donor Contact Centre on 0800 252 266 in advance of your appointment to discuss.

We’re asking blood donors to only come into the session at their appointment time, to help maintain social distancing during triaging and then inside the venue.

This will reduce any queuing and help protect everyone’s health.

If people arrive early, our teams may ask them to wait nearby – for example in their car – in order for them to come into the session at the best time. The situation has been changing quickly and we’re asking people to be patient and respectful of each other and our blood donation teams, to help us best support the wider NHS.

We do not routinely test for SARS-CoV-2.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses. At present, there is no evidence of any type of coronavirus being transmitted through blood donation or transfusion.

There is no evidence that COVID-19 is transmissible by blood transfusion, and our strict screening process means we don’t allow people who are unwell to donate blood.

No. We don’t take enough blood to compromise your immune system and as long as you are fit and healthy when you donate you are not at any additional risk.

Blood should not be donated until at least seven days after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine as part of the UK vaccination programme. You must also be well with no ongoing local or systemic reactions to the vaccine.

If you participated in a COVID–19 vaccine trial:

• • blood cannot be donated until 4 weeks after the most recent immunisation , or
  • if you are still within any deferral period advised in the protocol for any clinical trial you are enrolled in.

If unsure, please seek further advice from the trial unit you are enrolled in.