COVID-19

MORA remains committed, even through the COVID-19 pandemic, to continuing our mission to save and heal lives through organ, eye, and tissue donation. For those inquiring about how COVID has affected our day-to-day operations as well as our donation protocols, we hope you find the following informative:

• MORA follows the recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and the Mississippi State Department of Health with regard to COVID-19.
• We work closely with our Medical Director on current transplant recommendations and monitor continually for updates on best practices as this virus evolves.
• As always, MORA follows strict guidelines to ensure the safety of all parties involved in the donation process, including our donor families, transplant recipients, MORA staff, and hospital partners.
• All potential donors are screened by our Medical Director, tested for COVID-19, and a medical history is obtained from the next of kin.
• Based on studies conducted, the current information suggests a donor is unlikely to transmit COVID-19 to a recipient if it is 21 or more days after the date of disease onset (or after testing positive for patients with no symptoms).
• Since COVID-19 is known for its effects on the respiratory system, lower respiratory testing is required and made available to lung transplant teams prior to transplant of the lungs.
• You can still be a donor if you previously had COVID-19. Having been vaccinated against COVID-19 does NOT interfere with donation.
• MORA’s dedicated on-site clinical suite provides a safe and sterile environment to continue our efforts toward donation while minimizing the burden on local hospital partners whose resources continue to be stretched as they respond to COVID-19.

For more information, please visit the American Society for Transplantation.