Washington (AFP)
The US government announced on Thursday that the rule that would prevent most gay men from donating blood would be immediately relaxed due to a severe shortage of donations due to the Covid-19 epidemic.
Since 2015, men who have had sex with men in the previous 12 months have been unable to donate blood to the United States (previously, the ban was for life). This period is now reduced to three months, said the United States Medicines Agency, the FDA.
The three-month rule also applies to women who have had sex with gay or bisexual men, as well as to people who have received a tattoo or piercing, and to those who have traveled to a country where the risk of malaria is high. Previously, the 12-month rule applied to these groups.
The change can be done "without compromising the safety of blood supplies," said Peter Marks of the FDA in a statement.
At the end of the epidemic, the three-month rule should remain in place, he said.
The pandemic has caused the cancellation of numerous blood collections, for the sake of social distancing on campuses and in businesses. The American Red Cross reported on March 17 that 2,700 collections had been canceled since the start of the epidemic in the country, with 86,000 fewer donations.
© 2020 AFP