The Congresswomen said there is “no scientific justification” for refusing gay and bisexual men “who have recovered from coronavirus the opportunity to safely donate plasma.”
administration to eliminate its deferral period altogether. Some blood banks have reported having only enough to cover the next five days, while some hospitals say they’re down to a one-day supply.īlood donation is particularly urgent not only because of widespread blood shortages, but because people who have recovered from the novel coronavirus could have beneficial antibodies that researchers need to study.Ī group of lawmakers, including Democrats Carolyn Maloney, Jamie Raskin, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Katie Porter, and Deb Haaland, sent a letter last week to the head of the FDA urging the U.S. alone, leaving hospitals with a dwindling supply. The Red Cross announced in March that nearly 3,000 were cancelled in the U.S. Internationally, blood banks are facing a serious shortage due to COVID-19.
