The Irish Blood Transfusion Service has moved to allay any fears that blood donor recipients may have during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Stephen Field, medical director at the IBTS, said while a lot is still unknown about coronavirus, there is no evidence of transmission through blood. "Experts do not believe that this is a transfusion transmissible virus but we are not 100% sure of that. "We would always take the precautionary route as we do with all other viruses and exclude anybody who has the symptoms. "Should anybody donate and find they have symptoms afterwards we would withdraw any blood that they have donated within the previous five days," he added.