American Red Cross is facing a shortage of blood donations in the coming weeks as blood drives run by workplaces and schools are canceled due to coronavirus-related closures.
“We’ve had about 7,000 blood drives canceled in the coming weeks as workplaces and schools close,” Red Cross spokesperson April Phillips told Cheddar. “That’s over 200,000 blood donations that we won’t be collecting in the coming weeks but are still needed for patients.”
The wide-ranging containment measures in place across the country to halt the spread of the coronavirus have cut off a crucial supply of blood donations.
According to Phillips, 80 percent come from blood drives organized by organizations and workplaces, and 20 percent come from schools.
Absent these events, it’s up to individuals to make the effort themselves to schedule an appointment to donate blood.
“We’re asking people who are healthy and feeling well to make an appointment to give blood in the coming days and weeks,” she said.
Blood drive cancellations related to coronavirus are partly to blame for the shortage, but the organization is also recovering from a seasonal dip in supply that is common during the winter. Replenishing that supply is expected to take some time.
“If your next donation is a week from now, two weeks from now, that is okay because this is going to be a long recovery process,” Phillips said. “We’re going to be in this for a while. We’re going to feel these impacts for a while.”
All blood types are needed, she added, but Type O, in particular, is in high demand.
In the meantime, the Red Cross has implemented a series of safety precautions to protect donors while they break self-quarantine to do some good.
Nurses are checking donors’ temperature at the door. Beds have been spaced out. Equipment is getting regularly disinfected, and nurses are using additional hand sanitizer, Phillips said.
