Updated FDA Guidance Addressing Urgent Need for Blood During COVID-19 Pandemic

For over forty years, the Rhode Island Blood Center (RIBC) has been deeply committed to serving the critical blood supply needs of the hospitals and patients it serves. As with all blood centers across the United States, RIBC must follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) guidance on maintaining the safety of the blood supply and is pleased to announce the center’s readiness to receive donors under the revised FDA guidelines issued this past spring.

RIBC has been working to implement the changes as quickly as possible, but required time to update policies, operational procedures, and information systems, as well as train staff, and revise records of donors who were previously deferred. The changes to the revised guidelines include:

• Removal of deferral for individuals who have spent time in certain European countries or on military bases in Europe who were previously considered to have been exposed to a potential risk of transmission of Variant CJD.
  • It’s important to remember that there are still restrictions on:
    • Donors who have spent 3 months or more in U.K. from 1980-1996
    • Donors who have spent 5 or more years cumulatively in France or Ireland from the beginning of 1980 to the end of 2001
    • Donors with a history of transfusion in the U.K. or France from 1980 – present.
• Decreased in deferral period for travelers to malaria-endemic areas (and those who are residents of malaria non-endemic countries) from 12 months to 3 months.
• Decrease in deferral period for men who have sex with men changing from 12 months to 3 months. 
• Decrease in deferral period for female donors previously deferred for having sex with a man who had sex with another man, as long as the male-to-male sex occurred at least three months prior to giving blood. 
• Decrease in deferral period for individuals who have received a blood transfusion, blood components, or human tissue donated by another person from 12 to 3 months. 

Kara LeBlanc, marketing communications manager of the blood center says, “When in doubt, the best thing to do is reach out to the blood center’s medical eligibility team by email at medicalstaff@ribc.org to answer your eligibility questions or call 401-453-8383 before coming into the center. That way we help you be certain you are eligible under the new FDA guidelines.”

RIBC is driven by a dedication to saving lives and strengthening the health of our communities. We wholly support these updated guidelines and will continue to advocate for further changes to ensure a diverse and ample volunteer blood donor base needed to ensure a safe and reliable blood supply for patients in need.