The American Red Cross is experiencing an emergency blood and platelet shortage and is urging the public to donate in order to meet the needs of patients this fall.
Red Cross officials said they must collect 10,000 additional blood products each week throughout October in order for their blood supply to recover and help patients in need. A sharp drop in blood donor turnout has resulted in the lowest post-summer blood inventory level in six years.
“Fall is typically a time when the blood supply rebounds as donors are more available to give than during the busy summer months, but this year has presented a unique and serious challenge,” said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer for the Red Cross.
People of all blood types, especially type O, are asked to make an appointment immediately to make a blood donation.
Donor turnout has declined drastically this year due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases across the country, people returning to work, and in-person learning, American Red Cross said.
“While it’s clear the pandemic continues to weigh heavily on our minds, the Red Cross asks the public to remember donating blood and platelets is essential to the many patients who rely on lifesaving transfusions every day,” Young said.
The organization said in August that participation from blood donors was down 10 percent, but blood product distributions continue to remain strong.
Appointments can be made at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
As much as blood costs at the hospital, when they start to pay me ill start to donate again….
I’m type O negative but they won’t take my blood anymore because of some health issues. I used to be able to give as often as allowed and almost reached the 10 gallon mark.
I believe if I gave 10 gallons of blood, it would kill me! 😲
@Dorothy. Same here. Have a bad fear of needles but would still do it whenever I could. O positive. Then something changed and because I had heart surgery in 1980, they would no longer allow me to donate. It’s ridiculous. The Red Cross is the same organization that routinely blocks Walmart and others from trying to help during disasters. They’ve become a corrupt bureaucracy like the government.
I donated over 5 gallons of O negative before that blood bank in Pleasant Hill decided they didn’t want my blood anymore.
In Navy schools, we got the afternoon off for donating blood, and that was called vampire liberty. In Knoxville, I learned that I was also considered CMV negative, which was ideal for newborns. They called me when they needed me.
Until I got to California, nobody offered lidocaine when donating, but I had never needed lidocaine before. I eventually came to the conclusion that they used lidocaine instead of proper training for Phlebotomists.
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During a pandemic? Are you crazy?
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Actually that is 1 of the main reasons why people should donate blood. It helps the people who are dying to save their lives.
Why not? The risk of dying from COVID is really relatively low. People still have other health issues, mostly that have been ignored since the pandemic.
Can people who consume marijuana (THC) still donate blood?
As long as you aren’t injecting it or taking it as pay for sex, I don’t think any of the questions will exclude you.
If I’m ever in need , I will take your weed blood.
Wish I could help but I just cant do it. Uggg
Just donated last Monday. Quick & easy.
We donated blood for a friend and she was still charged hundreds of dollars.
They’ll just turn me down.
My blood’s so polluted with medications even I don’t want it. 🙂
Donate your blood folks…, but never sit next to someone in a restaurant or shake hands…. Insanity at its finest!
👏👏👏😂
I will never donate again other than to a family member. The last time I donated at my work site the incompetent blood drawers did not know what they were doing and after being stabbed for 45 minutes told them never again.
I used to always donate in the past but not with the fools they had working that day as it has put me off donating ever again.
That is the worst horrific nightmare for me Sam.
@Simonpure…. It’s just a little prick, at least that’s what Kamala said.