Hi all, Thank you for this debate. As per our community guidelines: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/about-connect/tab/community-guidelines/
"Exercise tolerance and respect toward other participants whose views may differ from your own. Disagreements are fine, but mutual respect is a must."

Regarding blood from COVID vaccinated donors.
Blood from vaccinated donors is safe for patients. With COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA or viral-vector vaccine is broken down quickly once it enters the body’s cells and there is no evidence that transfused blood collected from donors who were previously vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine poses any harm to patients.

From the Red Cross website:
"The Red Cross is following FDA blood donation eligibility guidance for those who receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Deferral times for donations may vary depending on which brand of vaccine you received. If you’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine, you’ll need to provide the manufacturer name when you come to donate. In most cases, there is no deferral time for individuals who received a COVID-19 vaccine as long as they are symptom-free and feeling well at the time of donation.

The following eligibility guidelines apply to each COVID-19 vaccine received, including boosters:
- There is no deferral time for eligible blood donors who are vaccinated with a non-replicating inactivated or RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca, Janssen/J&J, Moderna, Novavax, or Pfizer.
- Eligible blood donors who received a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine or do not know what type of COVID-19 vaccine they received must wait two weeks before giving blood."
Read more here: https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/covid-19-vaccination-guide-blood-donation.html

Regarding COVID information
COVID is new and the science is constantly being updated as researchers' investigations, patient reports, and medical professional experiences illuminate with more evidence. It can be challenging to know what is current evidence-based information, misinformation, and even intentional misinformation. For that reason, Mayo Clinic has created a website dedicated to COVID-19. https://www.mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19

This website is a trusted source to help you sift through the information and a great place to start. On the COVID website, you'll find information about:
- Vaccine Guidance
- COVID-19 and its variants
- Tracking tools
- Post-COVID Conditions
- Mayo Clinic Research
- Further resources

Here on Mayo Clinic Connect, we have up-to-date information from infectious disease experts and you have the opportunity to ask questions. Please follow:
- Q&A podcasts with Dr. Gregory Poland, infectious diseases https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/podcasts/
- Post-COVID Recovery expert blog https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/post-covid-recovery/

I commend each of you who are exercising due diligence, researching trusted sources, and making informed decisions. That said, we may not all arrive at the same decision. The freedom of personal choice is every person's right. With COVID, you also have to consider your surroundings, fellow citizens, and make decisions that are right for your situation.