FDA makes more people eligible to donate blood
Use of bloodmobiles temporarily suspended, but donors still sought by essential service - blood drives
Blood donation an essential service under shelter-in-place order with social distancing and proper hygiene.
With the COVID-19 pandemic causing unprecedented challenges to keeping the supply of blood, platelets and plasma in the United States at sufficient levels, traditional blood donation drives have all but dried up.
But blood donation is an essential service under the Monterey County Health Officer’s shelter-in-place order and remains viable but with social distancing and hygienic protocols adhered to. With the recent revisions by the Food and Drug Administration on who can donate, more people are eligible to give blood.
“More donations are needed at this time,” said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in a recent Food and Drug Administration statement. “At the FDA, we want to do everything we can to encourage more blood donations, which includes revisiting and updating some of our existing policies to help ensure we have an ad
equate blood supply, while still protecting the safety our nation’s blood supply.”
The FDA is revising recommendations regarding blood donor eligibility which are expected to remain in place after the COVID-19 pandemic ends and includes recommendations:
• For reducing the risk of
HIV transmission
• To reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria
• To reduce the possible risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or its variant
The FDA believes that the updated guidance and alternative procedures will help increase the number of donations moving forward and have a positive impact on the nation’s blood supply.
“With the elimination of most elective surgeries across the country, our blood supply is sufficient to meet any current needs,” said Cheryl Moore, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula director of laboratory services.
According to Moore,
there is not a shortage at this time but that does not mean there is not a need for blood donations to keep supplies up.
“Type O red blood cells are traditionally the most used, and this has not changed due to the pandemic,” said Moore. “People with any blood type are welcome to donate and our blood supply company distributes blood where it’s needed.”
Community Hospital partners with Vitalant to bring blood drives to the Monterey area. Visit www. blood4life.org to find blood drive locations on the Central Coast and Salinas Valley.
“We hosted two blood drives last week, which were full, and are holding two more next week, which are also full,” said Moore. “As blood is always needed and we want to maintain a regular supply, Community Hospital plans to host additional blood drives soon.”
Mona Kleman is the senior manager of donor recruitment at Vitalant, one of the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit community blood service providers. Formerly United Blood Service, Vitalant has facilities across the U.S. and covers the Central Coast from Ventura to Salinas and Monterey.
The next Vitalant blood drive in Salinas is scheduled for Aug. 11 at the Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System Heart Center parking lot at 450
E. Romie Lane using the bloodmobile.
“As a health care system, we do not conduct our own blood drives,” said Karina Rusk, SVMHS spokeswoman. “The blood we use comes from a national blood bank. Our clinical team has not had any trouble getting the blood they need.”
But Kleman said if the restrictions are still in place, the bloodmobile will not be an option. She asks that if any business has a room Vitalant can use for blood donations, to please contact her at 805-542-8529.
Kleman said the status of the blood supply is good but the challenge has come with the temporary suspension of using the bloodmobile.
Vitalant has donor centers in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Ventura that have been reorganized to accommodate social-distancing in waiting rooms as have the donation rooms where beds have also been spaced out.
Vitalant will implement the FDA revised recommendations within the next few weeks giving the organization time to change its questionnaires and associated paperwork.
“We’re excited about the changes and believe it will open up the door for more people to donate,” said Kleman.