FDA modifies donor restrictions to allow some gay men to donate blood amid shortage due to COVID-19

LOS ANGELES - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has modified its guidelines for blood donor eligibility requirements in order to allow some gay men to donate during the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to modify the restrictions came as organizations like the Red Cross are in desperate need for donations from healthy individuals due to a shortage in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak sweeping across the U.S.

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"For male donors who would have been deferred for having sex with another man: the agency is changing the recommended deferral period from 12 months to 3 months," the FDA wrote in a press release Thursday.

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The modifications will also change the recommended deferral period for females who have had sex with a man who had sex with another man from 12 months to three months. It also will allow donors who had recent tattoos and piercings to donate after a three-month deferral period.

Click here for more information from the FDA.

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