{"id":49963,"date":"2026-04-14T00:08:47","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T00:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=49963"},"modified":"2026-04-14T00:08:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T00:08:47","slug":"more-patients-demand-unvaccinated-blood-doctors-warn-of-growing-health-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=49963","title":{"rendered":"More patients demand \u2018unvaccinated\u2019 blood, doctors warn of growing health risks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft wp-block-nypost-editor-partner-article-links\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>An increasing number of patients are requesting \u201cunvaccinated\u201d blood for transfusions, which can delay care and pose risks to patients\u2019 health, experts warn.<\/p>\n<p>There is no evidence that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/13\/health\/woman-has-3-cancers-learns-she-has-sti-after-husband-cheated\/\">unvaccinated blood\u00a0<\/a>presents any safety benefit, according to a new study published in the journal Transfusion.<\/p>\n<p>There is currently no process for checking whether donated blood comes from vaccinated or unvaccinated donors, experts say.<\/p>\n<p>Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, which conducted the research, received 15 requests for unvaccinated blood between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2025. The median age of patients was 17 years old and more than half\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/05\/health\/deadly-disease-is-coming-back-doctors-say-they-havent-seen-it-for-years-and-years\/\">were children<\/a>, the university reported.<\/p>\n<p>Thirteen of the patients received blood donated specifically for them by family members, which is known as \u201cdirect donation.\u201d This can be risky, because most direct donors are giving blood for the first time, and their donations are more likely to contain \u201cpotentially\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/04\/health\/high-dose-shot-can-lower-seniors-risk-of-dementia-by-55\/\">harmful pathogens<\/a>,\u201d the authors noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite being framed as \u2018safer,\u2019 directed donations may paradoxically increase risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Patients are increasingly demanding \u201cunvaccinated\u201d blood for transfusions, despite experts warning it delays care and lacks safety benefits. <span class=\"credit\">angellodeco \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Among the studied patient group, two became much sicker after refusing a standard blood transfusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One patient developed anemia, a condition where the body lacks enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen. The other developed\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/06\/20\/health\/i-nearly-died-after-doctors-mistook-my-sepsis-for-anxiety\/\">hemodynamic shock<\/a>, a serious condition in which there is insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the body\u2019s tissues, potentially leading to organ failure.<\/p>\n<p>Requests for unvaccinated blood spiked after the approval of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/27\/health\/what-happens-to-your-baby-if-you-get-the-covid-shot-in-pregnancy\/\">COVID-19 vaccines<\/a>, posing a \u201crecurring challenge for transfusion services and clinicians,\u201d the researchers stated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese requests were associated with care delays, escalation and inefficiencies,\u201d they indicated.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers recommend that health systems create standardized policies to handle these types of requests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRegulatory and professional organizations\u00a0have opposed these non-evidence-based policies, emphasizing that blood centers do not record or convey donor COVID-19 vaccination status and that evidence demonstrates transfusion from vaccinated donors poses no unique risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Vanderbilt study had some limitations, the researchers noted. It looked at a few cases and only included situations where special blood donations made it to the blood bank, so it doesn\u2019t show how often people made this request overall.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Two patients became sicker after refusing standard transfusions, researchers found. <span class=\"credit\">Konstantin Yuganov \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It also didn\u2019t include cases where concerns were resolved through\u00a0conversations with doctors\u00a0or ethics teams, the team noted.<\/p>\n<p>As this was an observational study and not a controlled experiment, it only showed an association and could not prove that refusing standard blood directly caused any specific\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/20\/health\/could-uks-deadly-meningitis-outbreak-spread-to-the-us-what-to-know\/\">patient outcomes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Several states have introduced proposals aimed at allowing patients to receive blood specifically from donors who have not received COVID-19 vaccines.<\/p>\n<p>In Oklahoma, one such proposal called for the creation of a state-run blood bank dedicated to collecting and distributing blood from unvaccinated donors. Despite these efforts, none of the measures have been enacted into law.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the research, but said these types of requests are \u201cpart of an ongoing fear culture.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is also very difficult to test for, because the antibodies may be positive from COVID itself as well as the vaccine, and it can be difficult to tell the difference,\u201d he told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n<p>The notion that receiving blood from someone who had the vaccine would be harmful is not based on any\u00a0scientific studies, the doctor reiterated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf people want to group up to get blood from <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/13\/health\/hmpv-virus-with-no-vaccine-is-spreading-in-california\/\">other unvaccinated people<\/a>, I respect that choice, though it will be expensive and will limit options,\u201d Siegel added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, confirms no scientific basis for fears about vaccinated blood. <span class=\"credit\">ronstik \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Diane\u00a0Calmus, vice president of government affairs for\u00a0America\u2019s Blood Centers in Washington, D.C., said that requests for direct donations are \u201cexceedingly rare\u201d \u2013 representing about 0.06% of the U.S. blood supply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRequests for unvaccinated blood are something we\u2019ve seen wax and wane since the introduction of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/25\/health\/universal-nasal-vax-could-protect-against-covid-flu-and-allergies\/\">COVID vaccine<\/a>,\u201d Calmus, who also was not involved in the Vanderbilt study, told Fox News Digital. \u201cThe challenge is that there\u2019s no way to tell whether someone\u2019s blood has been vaccinated \u2013 there\u2019s no test that exists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Any situation where someone requires a blood transfusion is most likely a \u201cvery scary time,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFamily members want to be cautious, and this is why it\u2019s so important that people talk to a transfusion medicine-trained doctor,\u201d the expert advised. \u201cThese are physicians who have a specialty in blood transfusions \u2026 and who can answer those questions that any individual will have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Calmus pointed out that it takes some time to facilitate a direct donation, and that there is a specific process in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBlood has to be prescribed. You can\u2019t just show up at the blood center and say, \u2018I would like my sister to donate for me,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThere needs to be a prescription. It needs to go\u00a0through the hospital\u00a0\u2026 they need to make sure it is the right blood for the right patient.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>A Vanderbilt University in Tennessee study found requests, often for children, delay care. <span class=\"credit\">Pixel-Shot \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Calmus emphasized that the U.S. blood supply is \u201cmeticulously tracked,\u201d and that there have been no indications of a lack of safety. She also stressed the ongoing need for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/06\/08\/us-news\/long-islander-donated-nearly-29-gallons-of-blood-since-1975\/\">blood donors.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need people \u2013 vaccinated or not vaccinated \u2013 to show up and donate blood, because it is the blood on the shelves that saves lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fox News Digital reached out to the Vanderbilt researchers for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/13\/health\/more-patients-demand-unvaccinated-blood-doctors-warn-of-growing-health-risks\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An increasing number of patients are requesting \u201cunvaccinated\u201d blood for transfusions, which can delay care and pose risks to patients\u2019 health, experts warn. There is no&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49963","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49963"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49963\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}