Americans are saying no to vaccinated blood, even if it means delaying life-saving surgery: Report

Doctors have flagged a strange pattern in blood donation requests in America, revealing that people are refusing to accept blood from vaccinated donors. Data from the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Tennessee from the past two years shows that the number of people requesting non-anonymous, or directed, blood donations rose significantly over the past two years. The reason is they do not want blood from people who have taken vaccines, especially those immunised against COVID-19. The vaccines against the virus have been dubbed by several people, including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, as dangerous. The anti-vaccination movement saw a resurgence after the public was pushed to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic. People took to the streets to protest when the government and the private sector used administrative mandates and incentives to make vaccination a requirement to be able to carry out regular activities, personally and professionally.

Advocates have claimed that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are unsafe for human health, despite the absence of proof. This has contributed to people saying no to blood from anonymous donors and asking for directed blood, where the family can choose specific individuals to donate blood. The study published in the journal Transfusion in March has warned that "despite being framed as ‘safer,’ directed donations may paradoxically increase risk." Blood donation is one area where the anti-vaxxer movement is becoming quite visible, which is happening by refusing vaccinated blood. There is no evidence to show that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can create a new disease in the body or alter your blood or DNA. Blood donation centres do not test against something like this, although they ensure that the donated blood is safe for transfusion.

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Request for unvaccinated blood increasing

To get a clear picture of how many such cases happened in the past two years, researchers analysed blood bank data on all directed donations performed between 2024 and 2025. Data showed that at least 15 recipients requested directed blood, of which 48 units were collected. In each case, the request was not made because of a rare blood type issue, but because they were worried about getting vaccinated blood. The number increased from four in 2024 to 11 in 2025. Eight of the total cases involved children.

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Risk of directed blood to patients

Researchers flagged the risk posed by these requests, as in at least four cases, patients faced major issues because the families made them wait for directed blood donation. In two cases, surgery had to be delayed or rescheduled. Directed blood often comes from first-time donors, and researchers say they are at risk of carrying infectious diseases. Blood centres also have to irradiate blood from family members to prevent immune-related complications. Scientists are concerned that such requests could increase in the future as people might soon be able to legally demand unvaccinated blood.