Coronavirus: latest advice

Yes. You will need to wear a fabric face covering when you give blood. This does not have to be a surgical mask but should cover your nose and mouth. If you can't wear a face covering because of a medical exemption, you are still able to donate.

Our decision to ask donors to wear face coverings is in line with other healthcare settings to keep you and our staff safe. Our face coverings policy will be reviewed alongside all COVID-19 safety measures on a regular basis.

You should confirm your situation before coming to donate.

Please read our guidance.

Yes. We have introduced several changes to give donors confidence about hygiene and social distancing.

Find out more about hygiene and social distancing.

At the moment we particularly need:

• Male donors - men can donate more often than women
• Black donors - Ro blood is needed and a common type for black donors
• O negative donors - hospitals need this blood type most regularly, as it can be given to all patients 

Find out more about becoming a blood donor.

Keeping our centres open and getting the right balance of blood types is currently more difficult than usual. If we cancel your appointment, please accept our apologies. We only do this when absolutely necessary, and will always try to get in touch by phone, email or in writing to let you know with as much notice as possible.

If your appointment has been cancelled, please rebook further into the future if you can: on the NHSGiveBlood app, via your online account, or by calling 0300 123 23 23.

No, we do not routinely test for coronavirus because there is no evidence it is transmitted through blood donation.

Read about the tests we do on every blood donation.

Yes, but you will need to wait 7 days. If you have received a coronavirus vaccine as part of the UK vaccination programme, please wait 7 days after having the vaccine before coming to donate.

If you had side effects from the vaccine such as headache, temperature, aches and chills please wait 28 days from your recovery.

This is a precautionary measure to keep you and the people who receive blood safe. Some people experience side effects from the vaccine such as headache, temperature, aches and chills. Leaving a seven-day gap between vaccination and donation means that any side effects are unlikely to be confused with illness after donating.

It is very unlikely that the active ingredients of the vaccine will remain in the blood by the time of donation.

The current COVID-19 vaccines do not contain live virus. If you've been vaccinated, there is no evidence that your donation will transmit infection but it may contain protective antibodies against COVID-19. There is also no evidence that donations from vaccinated individuals will increase the risk of thrombosis in the recipient.

No. Hospital clinicians match blood to a patient based on blood type. Blood donation is confidential and anonymous and no personal information about the donor is shared with the patient, and vice versa.