Covid-19 and Organ Donation
Written by Abigail Gillespie
In She Died With Long Covid, Roni Caryn Rabin discusses the debate around whether people should be able to donate organs if they once tested positive for COVID-19. In Marina del Rey, California, Heidi Ferrer died of suicide while sick with COVID-19. Her husband, Nick Guthe, fears that her organs are unsafe to give to others. In an attempt to treat herself for COVID-19, Ms. Ferrer took ivermectin (an antiparasitic drug). Mr. Guthe wonders if aside from COVID-19 compromising her organs, her actions to treat herself compromised organs such as her liver. He wants to donate her body to science. However, the hospital has said that it is not his decision. Ms. Ferrer had been a registered organ donor when she died. Before disconnecting her from a ventilator, medical professionals removed many of her organs.
Many people wonder what the protocols are for organ donation during the pandemic. Health professionals consider organs safe if a person has a negative test result, even if they have tested positive in the past. However, there is no universally accepted set of protocols regarding the subject. Some people, for example, do not test positive when the symptoms last for long periods. The virus may be undetectable as it hides within the body (including in some of the organs often donated to others). Last year, a woman tested positive for COVID-19 after receiving a lung transplant. This suggests that the virus came from the transplanted organ.
Questions:
If a patient agrees to the risk, should they still be able to accept an organ from a donor with a past infection of COVID-19?
Mr. Guthe repeatedly said that his wife would not have wanted to donate organs if they were “bad.” Should her body have been donated to science, or were medical professionals correct in honoring her signing to be an organ donor?
What are the implications of this case? What is the protocol regarding other viruses (not just COVID-19)?
Disease transmission is always a concern. With this in mind (and with knowing potential risks), would you accept an organ from someone who had tested positive for COVID-19?
Works Cited
Reichel, C., (2020, November 18). “Nudging Organ Donation in the United States.” Harvard Law Today, 4 Feb. 2022, https://today.law.harvard.edu/nudging-organ-donation-in-the-united-states/.
Rabin, R. C. (2021, November 8). She died with long covid. should her organs have been donated? The New York Times. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/07/health/covid-organ-transplants.html.
