Orlando blood bank hits capacity; donations requested in coming days

ORLANDO, Fla. — Hundreds of people lined up at OneBlood blood bank Sunday morning in Orlando to donate blood and plasma after a shooting spree at Pulse Nightclub left 20 people killed and 42 injured.

There was an urgent need for O negative, O positive and AB plasma, said Pat Michaels, a spokesman for OneBlood said.

Michaels said the blood bank has met all its immediate needs for the day, but the agency still needs blood donations in the coming days.

Raw: Hundreds line up at Orlando blood bank after mass shooting

Donors should be generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds, Michaels said.

Historically, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't allowed men who've had sex with other men to donate blood, but the ban was recently changed.

The FDA now allows men who've had sex with other men to donate blood if they've been celibate for the past year.

But despite the FDA's recently loosened restrictions, OneBlood isn't yet able to accept blood donations from men who've had sex with other men, Michaels said.

To find the nearest donation center or Big Red Bus, prospective donors can visit www.oneblood.org or call 1-888-936-6283.

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