U.S.
U.S. Eases Restrictions on Gay Men Donating Blood Amid Covid-19
Blood is drawn from a donor during a blood drive in Princeton, Illinois.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
U.S. regulators eased restrictions that severely limit blood donations by men who have sex with men as supplies run short amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Food and Drug Administration released revised guidelines Thursday that would allow gay men to donate blood after refraining from sexual contact for three months instead of a year. The FDA said experience in other countries such as the U.K. with a three-month deferral and improved testing led the agency to make the change.