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WFMY Holiday Blood Drive: December 14

No COVID vaccine is necessary to give blood. How does blood donation affect the vaccine efficacy?

GREENSBORO, N.C. — The holiday season is full of traditions. The Greensboro Holiday parade and those great balloons, the Christmas balls in the Sunset Hills neighborhood and don't forget this one, the WFMY News Holiday Blood drive, it's the 57th year!

Holiday Blood Drive

The WFMY News 2 Holiday blood drive is Tuesday, Dec. 14, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Piedmont Hall, in the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.

You don't need your vaccine to give blood. If you’re vaccinated, bring your vaccination card so they can write down which vaccine you do have.

Will blood donation lessen the impact of the COVID vaccine? 

The short answer is no. But let me explain.

When you get your COVID 19 vaccine, your body responds by developing plasma cells that act as factories, continuously making antibodies. You have about five liters of blood in your body. Let's use one-liter bottles as an example. There are five of them. When you donate blood, it takes out 450 milliliters, which is about 1/2 of one bottle.

RELATED: Check out these ways to give back this holiday season in your community

“While you may lose some antibodies, the percentage is small. The important cells that make those antibodies, they stay put,” Penn Institute of Immunology, Dr. John Wherry, said. 

While there is no impact on you, the biggest impact is on the person who gets your life-saving donation. Here's my trick to get in and out quickly—don’t wait in line, make an appointment instead.

Make an online appointment on the American Red Cross donation site to book a time that works for you. There are appointments every 15 minutes from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

    

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