On Tuesday, TV Host Any Cohen said in ’The View’ that even though he is tested positive for “robust” Covid-19 antibodies, he is disappointed that he can’t donate plasma because he is a gay man.
“What a loss,” Cohen said. “Here I have these robust antibodies, and I can’t share my plasma and possibly help anybody. Extreme disappointment.”
Cohen explained that the roadblock is what he calls “antiquated and discriminatory guidelines by the FDA to prevent HIV.”
The FDA’s updated rules bar any man who has had sex with another man in the past three months from donating plasma or blood.
Some doctors say that if there are enough antibodies in donated plasma, it can potentially kill the coronavirus in patients who have the disease. In April, the FDA said they are limiting the plasma treatments to those who are most seriously ill.
In March, Cohen announced his positive Covid-19 diagnosis on Instagram ‘after a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great.’ After 11 days, the Bravo executive returned to work on his radio show and shared his experience recovering from the virus at home.
Cohen told Anderson Cooper in April that after recovering, he signed up for a program at Mount Sinai in New York because the hospital system put out a notice of an urgent need for plasma from people who had overcome coronavirus.
“They said, ‘You can’t do it,'” Cohen said. “I was hurt. I just thought well this is crazy, technology has come so far.”
“They’re worried about HIV in blood,” he said. “But I’m HIV negative. And you can find that out, and then you can test my blood a couple of times before putting it into a system.”
The “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” host said he’s been speaking out for months to urge the FDA to reexamine the outdated rules.