Nino Ratishvili, host of Obieqtivi TV’s Night Studio program, said on June 19 that a vaccinated mother was not allowed to transfuse her blood to her child. Ratishvili noted that Georgia received this directive from the Red Cross who states it is better if unvaccinated people donate blood.
Earlier on June 17, identical information was spread by Facebook user Mano Beridze who claims in her post that mother failed to transfuse blood to her child before surgery, because she was vaccinated. Beridze, however, does not specify which particular vaccine she is talking about. “If the blood of vaccinated people is useless, do you pin hopes on unvaccinated people only?” she asks.
The posts with identical content can also be viewed on Facebook pages Natela Kiria and ნანა ნინ გაგუა.
The spread information is false. Myth Detector has reached out to Georgian immunologist Tengiz Tsertsvadze who said that Georgia is guided by the American Red Cross regulations meaning that no restrictions are imposed on people who received RNA and viral vector vaccines, while in case of inactivated vaccines, blood transfusion is allowed two weeks after vaccination.
To verify the information, Myth Detector has reached out to Tengiz Tsertsvadze, director general of Infectious Diseases, AIDS and Clinical Immunology Research Center. He said in his telephone comments that there is no resolution or other document in Georgia to regulate this issue. Therefore, Georgia is guided by international documents, namely the American Red Cross regulations. Tsertsvadze clarified that while people who have recovered from COVID-19 can donate blood 28 days after recovery, timeframes are different for vaccinated people that largely depends on vaccine technology. Tsertsvadze also noted that if a person received an inactivated vaccine, in Georgia’s case Sinopharm or Sinovac, blood can be transfused after 14 days, while in case of a new type of vaccines, such as RNA and viral vector vaccines (Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson), there is no restriction and an individual can donate blood at any time.
Some reports have also circulated as if the Red Cross bans people vaccinated against COVID-19 from donating blood. See details in Myth Detector’s article:
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