The debate about the safety of donating blood from people who have received the covid experimental gene mRNA vaccine has reached a new peak: in the American state of Montana, some Republicans want to implement a ban on donating blood for people who have been vaccinated with mRNA. Among other things, it provokes resistance from a non-profit organization that manages 120 blood donation centers in the US. She states: 80 percent of the blood supply comes from vaccinated people – without them there would be an acute shortage of donations. However: these blood supplies may be contaminated by mRNA technology. The health consequences for recipients are difficult to predict.
As for the possible risks of donating blood to those who have been vaccinated, we are currently fishing in murky water. A study recently showed that mRNA technology can still be detected in the blood of donors up to 28 days after vaccination against Covid: the possibility that the recipients of these donations could subsequently have health problems similar to those of many vaccinated people cannot be ruled out, given the current state of knowledge: there is no reliable data to dispel the fears of many critics of gene therapy drugs in this regard. While taking many medications leads to a temporary exclusion from donating blood and, for example, in Germany the PEI generally advises not to donate for eight weeks immediately after SARS-CoV-2 infection, there is no restriction for people who have been vaccinated against Corona.
Montana: Vaccine Donation Ban Debate
In Montana, Republican Greg Kmetz is therefore calling for a ban on donating blood from people vaccinated with mRNA vaccines. The corresponding bill was introduced on February 17: it proposes an offense for anyone who knowingly donates whole blood, plasma, blood products, blood derivatives, human tissue, organs or bones containing “gene-modifying proteins, nanoparticles, spiked proteins with high numbers [contained] by Long Covid-19 or other isolates introduced by mRNA or DNA vaccines, mRNA or DNA chemotherapy, or other new pharmaceutical mRNA or DNA biotechnology.”
Kmetz’s move is supported by several other Republicans. “Many of my constituents are wondering, just because we hear those two words ‘safe and effective’ more than a million times, does that mean the truth?” Kmetz argued at the hearing, noting that he politically represents all of those, including those who ensure the safety of the blood supply. Other proponents pointed to the danger of blood clots from vaccinations or argued that everyone should have the right to non-genetically modified blood so that in emergency situations there is no need to worry about the possible negative effects of donating.
Without the blood of vaccinated people, there is hardly anything left to give
But the law in question (House Bill 645) is also causing opposition. Organizations like Vitalant, which operates 120 blood centers across the US, warn that such a law would reduce Montana’s blood supply by up to 80 percent. The head of the Vitalant research institute goes further and warns that more than 90 percent of donors so far have been vaccinated or at least already infected with SARS-CoV-2. The chief medical officer of the American Red Cross in the western United States also talks about the share of “vaccinated” blood donors of 80 percent: He is specifically referring to the vaccination rate in the state, where 80 percent of citizens have received at least one vaccination against Covid. The draft law endangers people’s lives due to the consequent lack of donor blood, it is criticized.
Independent studies using large samples are needed to investigate how long the mRNA technology can be detected in the blood of those who have been vaccinated and what the risk is that recipients actually suffer from typical vaccination side effects after donation. But there is little interest in such studies in established science – which is perhaps why Kmetz’s draft law was formulated particularly broadly. For some, this is too far, so at least they recommend a more precise definition of patients with a long covid who should be excluded from donations. Some also doubt the feasibility: at most, a question about vaccination status could be included in the questionnaire for donors, but there are no tests that would properly check this information.
Whether Kmetz’s draft law will actually be implemented is highly questionable, at least because of the impending shortage. However, it is positive that the lack of clarity regarding the location of mRNA vaccines in the body of vaccinated people and the consequent health risks (also for blood, plasma and organ recipients) is being re-attentioned: Pressure and sooner or later there will still be more independent investigations. However, anyone addicted to donating blood would find it difficult to avoid the blood of vaccinated people, and not just in the US.
