COVID and Organ Donation

We have received lots of questions about how COVID impacts donation and transplantation.

Please read the information below which addresses the questions we most commonly hear. You can contact us at info@lopa.org for any questions not answered here.

LOPA follows the recommendations provided by the CDC with regards to COVID-19.

• We work closely with our Medical Director for additional guidance on current transplant recommendations and are continually monitoring for updates and changes as we learn more about this virus.

• LOPA follows stringent guidelines to ensure the safety of donor families, recipients, staff and hospital partners.

• All donors are tested for COVID-19 and a medical history is obtained from the next of kin.

• Since COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, lung recipients are at greatest risk. Potential lung donors must have a lower respiratory NAT (nucleic acid test), which significantly decreases the risk of unrecognized infection.

• You can still be a donor if you previously had COVID-19.

• Current evidence and information suggests a donor is unlikely to transmit COVID-19 to a recipient if it is 19 or more days after the date of disease onset (or positive test for asymptomatic patients).

• LOPA screens all patients with recent history of COVID-19 with our Medical Director.

• COVID-19 vaccinations do NOT interfere with donation.

• LOPA’s state of the art Donor Care Center has helped us maintain a safe and sterile environment to facilitate donation while decreasing the burden on hospital resources.

For more information, visit UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) or AST (American Society of Transplantation)