Fifteen patients at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, requested blood transfusions from donors unvaccinated against covid-19, leading to dangerous delays in care. One patient suffered a life-threatening drop in haemoglobin levels. Researchers warn that such requests stem from misinformation despite the safety of the regulated blood supply.
Jeremy Jacobs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported that between January 2024 and December 2025, 15 patients or their caregivers sought directed donations—blood from specific individuals like relatives—exclusively from those unvaccinated against covid-19. The vaccination status of donors is not recorded or shared by blood banks, prompting these unusual requests driven by concerns over vaccine safety, which Jacobs described as misinformation rather than evidence-based worries. Directed donations are permitted more broadly in the US than in places like the UK or Australia, though discouraged due to added complexity in coordination, processing, and higher infection risks compared to the standard screened supply from repeat donors. These demands delayed treatments, with one patient's haemoglobin reaching critical levels that risked organ failure, and another developing anaemia. Jacobs noted that directed donations previously surged during the HIV/AIDS crisis and resurged with mRNA covid-19 vaccines, despite repeated studies affirming vaccine safety and a 2025 confirmation that blood from vaccinated donors poses no added risk. Ash Toye at the University of Bristol emphasized that such requests reflect public vaccine uncertainty, not transfusion hazards. Similar concerns have surfaced elsewhere, including queries to the Welsh Blood Service and a rejected UK petition to segregate blood by vaccination status, while Oklahoma legislators proposed mandating access to unvaccinated blood. Jacobs stressed addressing patient fears respectfully amid the operational burdens created by misinformation.
