Australians fully recovered from COVID-19 will no longer have to wait a month before they can give blood in a bid to revive low donation rates.    

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood says more than 4500 appointments are going unfilled every day, with cancellations and no-shows the highest they have been since the start of the pandemic.   

Under its current policy, donors who have had the virus have to wait 28 days after they have recovered and are considered symptom free.

However, from Sunday, that interval will be cut to seven days post-recovery or seven days from the time a positive test result is recorded for patients with no symptoms.