Anti-Vaxxers are freaking out over blood banks accepting blood from COVID vaccine recipients

The anti-vaxxer movement has found a new cause to lose their minds over. According to a report from the Daily Beast, members of a far-right Facebook group have been freaking out over the fact that blood banks are accepting blood from people who have received COVID-19 vaccine shots. This supposedly unexpected piece of information proved to be quite upsetting for those who believe the government is using the vaccines to try and implant mind-control chips into Americans. "There are people donating blood after being shot up with the covid crap. This terrifies me," one Facebook user allegedly wrote in the group.

According to reporter Daniel Modlin, another added: "Isn't there a rule not to?? Are people that stupid to donate blood after getting a shot?" Yet another member of the group warned: "In the future, ONLY the vaccinated will be able to give blood. Think I am joking? Just watch." Speaking to Modlin about their comment, the member — Nick Savoy of Houston — claimed the comment is meant to be tongue in cheek. "We know the health risk of COVID pretty well now," Savoy. "We don't know those from the vaccine. It might be minimal. However, unknowns rank higher in my risk ranking."

As it turns out, this new freakout was over the news that people who receive COVID-19 vaccines don't have to wait out the typical deferral period before giving blood. "While there are typically deferral periods for donating blood after receiving a vaccination for diseases like rubella, measles, and chickenpox, in most cases there is no such period for people who received the COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are feeling well," Modlin wrote. "As a precaution when donating, potential donors must provide their vaccine manufacturer's name. If they cannot, they are instructed to wait two weeks before donating."

"Regardless, anti-vaxxers believe without evidence that the lack of a deferral period—and in some more extreme cases, allowing the vaccinated to donate blood at all—is a backdoor to genetic modification," he added. Dr. Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the University of Pennsylvania pointed out that anti-vaxxers are letting their fear of getting shots overrule the clear science and extensive research that go into the development of vaccines. "Vaccinations and transfusions are frightening to people who don't understand them or don't trust the science behind them," she explained.

Dr. Brittany Kmush, an assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University agreed, noting: "The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are not live vaccines. The reason we have deferral periods for donating blood after receiving a live, attenuated vaccine is because... in immunocompromised people, even a weakened virus could potentially be dangerous. And since people who are receiving transfusions are typically immunocompromised, there's a two-week window for added safety." Meanwhile, Dr. Alyssa Ziman — the chief of transfusion medicine for UCLA Health — pointed out that "there is no evidence that the novel Coronavirus can be transmitted via blood transfusion."

While some anti-vaxxers are now vowing to "never get a blood transfusion ever" because "their blood has the death shot in it," social media users are having a field day roasting their misplaced paranoia. "Won't hurt my feelings if they refuse blood when they're wounded or have a disease. That many fewer nut cases in the world. I'm getting GREAT FM reception on my chip too! I just need to get another filling on the other back molar so I can hear it in stereo," @RealNoraC joked. "Wait until someone tells them about all of the other vaccinations that blood donors have had, let alone the vaccinations they themselves have had. Why are there so many ignoramuses?" asked Twitter user @RelUnrelated.