KLKN-TV
New FDA study may allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood
Following the U.K. s lead, the U.S. will be funding a new study to end sexual preference bias at the blood bank
December 16, 2020 4:00 am
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN)- The FDA is funding a study for the first time that could allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood where there were previously restrictions.
A change in this policy would mean that more gay and bisexual men would be able to give blood in the U.S.–ending what critics have called discriminatory federal guidelines.
On Monday the U.K. announced it would be lifting its blood-donation policy for all men who have had sex with men.
Community testing offer rolled out to highest risk Tier 2 areas
Community testing programmes will be offered to worst-affected Tier 2 areas, in addition to Tier 3 areas, to help prevent areas in Tier 2 moving into the toughest restrictions.
From:
16 December 2020
Community testing programmes will be offered to worst-affected Tier 2 areas, in addition to Tier 3 areas
Rapid, regular testing will help drive down transmission rates to help prevent areas in Tier 2 moving into the toughest restrictions
London is the latest local authority confirmed to receive enhanced community testing support
Local authorities in the worst-affected Tier 2 areas, will now be offered community testing in addition to Tier 3 areas, the government has announced today.
NEW YORK The FDA is now sharing new details on a study that could lead to the removal of longtime restrictions on blood donations by gay or bisexual men.
The agency exclusively shared with ABC News that the goal is to gather and present data for review by late 2021.
The first-of-its-kind pilot study, ADVANCE: Assessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility, calls for a groundbreaking collaboration between three of the nation s largest blood centers, Vitalant, OneBlood and the American Red Cross, along with LGBTQ+ community centers nationwide.
The research is intended to conclude whether donor deferral can be based on individual risk assessments rather than blanket rules.
More than 137,000 people in UK receive first dose of COVID vaccine in one week
The majority of the vaccines have been administered to the over-80s, care home workers and NHS staff through more than 70 sites across the UK.
From:
16 December 2020
More than 137,000 people in the UK have received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in the first week of the largest vaccination programme in British history.
The government has today released provisional figures which show at least 137,897 people received their first dose of the vaccine by the end of Tuesday 15 December. 108,000 people were vaccinated in England.
Date Time
Share
AI could help cut waiting times for cancer by automating mark-up of patient scans prior to radiotherapy
Doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge aim to drastically cut cancer waiting times by using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate lengthy radiotherapy preparations.
As clinicians we want to start radiotherapy promptly to improve survival rates and reduce anxiety. Using machine learning tools can save time for busy clinicians and help get our patients onto treatment as quickly as possible Raj Jena
The AI technology, known as InnerEye, is the result of an eight-year collaboration between researchers at Cambridge-based Microsoft Research, Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge.