U.S. Urging People to Donate Blood

Published by Matt Fishman on

The United States has an “urgent and immediate need for blood and blood components.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that the “COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges to the U.S. blood supply.” On top of coronavirus patients receiving blood, the FDA says they have “experienced a dramatic reduction in donations due to the implementation of social distancing and the cancellation of blood drives”. 

As such, to “help increase the number of donations moving forward”, the FDA is changing certain regulations regarding blood donor eligibility. Now, “male donors who would have been deferred for having sex with another man” and “those who have traveled to malaria-endemic areas” will have their “recommended deferral period” reduced from 12 months to 3 months.

Learn how you can donate blood here.