COVID-19: Clinical Advice
The following advice is provided for clinical staff involved in facilitating organ and tissue donation in the UK.
It is general guidance so please always check the latest Government COVID-19 advice for up to date national guidance as well as any local policies which may be applicable.
Clinical enquiries and questions should be directed as appropriate to: regional organ donation teams or Regional Clinical Leads for Organ Donation, national organ retrieval service leads, or transplant centres.
Anti-viral treatments
Organ transplant recipients have been prioritised to receive anti-viral treatments. Based on currently available evidence and the NICE TA publication, NHSBT clinical team have produced the following update/ guidance
There are emerging COVID preventative therapies and COVID therapies. Please visit related NICE guidance for the most up to date information.
COVID-19 guidance for people whose immune system means they are at higher risk can be accessed on the Government website.
Further advice for patients
- Read our coronavirus advice to transplant patients
- Frequently asked questions about transplants during coronavirus
SARS-CoV-2 assessment and screening in donors and recipients
This policy provides guidance on the SARS-CoV-2 assessment and screening of potential solid organ donors and transplant recipients. It is anticipated that it will be updated as new evidence and practices emerge.
The policy has been updated to describe circumstances where organ donation from selected donors with positive (or indeterminate) SARS-CoV-2 RNA test results may be reasonable, following virological advice, and where evolving infection (and therefore the risk of infectivity to recipients) is deemed unlikely.
SARS-CoV-2 Assessment and Screening in Organ Donors and Recipients - POL304 (PDF 842KB) (published 5 December 2022)