Hospitals are also desperate for donations of blood plasma, which has become important in the fight against COVID-19. Thanks to stay-at-home orders, more than 13,000 Red Cross blood drives were canceled as of April 1, resulting in nearly 400,000 fewer blood donations, according to a spokesperson. "But I'm unable to."ĭonations of blood and blood plasma have been in high demand since coronavirus began rapidly spreading across the U.S. "If I could help somebody by, I would definitely do it," Restrepo says. To date, more than 40,000 Floridians have contracted COVID-19, and at least 1,700 have died. Now, in the midst of another crisis where Restrepo's donations could be critical for those in need, he can't help but be frustrated. "My community is suffering, and I don't even have the power to help them out." "I kind of felt powerless because I was like, 'This is literally my community,'" he says. In the aftermath, demand for blood donations soared as dozens of gravely wounded clubgoers filled hospital beds, but Restrepo was unable to contribute. Restrepo, who has been with his husband for five years, says the conundrum reminds him of the days after the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando.
over the past three decades: He's gay.ĭespite newly revised federal guidelines easing restrictions for gay and bisexual men, donation sites across the nation, including at least a dozen in South Florida, have yet to adopt and implement the measures - a drawn-out process that officials say could take the rest of the year. But the 25-year-old Florida International University student can't donate blood for the same reason millions of other men have been unable to give blood in the U.S. Once again, Kevin Restrepo feels powerless.Īs the demand for blood and plasma soars in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, Restrepo's universally accepted O-negative blood could help someone in dire medical straits.