The American Red Cross now faces a
severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive
cancellations in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Healthy individuals are
needed now to donate to help patients counting on lifesaving blood.
Individuals can schedule an
appointment to give blood with the Red Cross by visiting RedCrossBlood.org,
using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, calling 1-800-RED-CROSS or enabling the
Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
As the coronavirus pandemic has
grown here in the U.S., blood drive cancellations have
grown at an alarming rate. To date, nearly 2,700 Red Cross blood drives have
been canceled across the country due to concerns about congregating at
workplaces, college campuses and schools amidst the coronavirus outbreak. These
cancellations have resulted in some 86,000 fewer blood donations. More than 80
percent of the blood the Red Cross collects comes from drives held at locations
of this type.
Here in the Tennessee Blood Services
Region, 61 blood drives have been canceled, resulting in 2,138 units fewer
blood donations. The Red Cross is adding appointment slots at donation centers
and expanding capacity at many community blood drives across the country over
the next few weeks to ensure ample opportunities for donors to give.
The Red Cross expects the number of
cancellations to continue to increase, which is causing heightened concern for
blood collection organizations and hospitals across the country. This blood
shortage could impact patients who need surgery, victims of car accidents and
other emergencies, or patients suffering from cancer.
“I am looking at the refrigerator
that contains only one day’s supply of blood for the hospital,” said Dr.
Robertson Davenport, director of transfusion medicine at Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor. “The hospital is full. There are
patients who need blood and cannot wait.”
“In our experience, the American
public comes together to support those in need during times of shortage and
that support is needed now more than ever during this unprecedented public
health crisis,” said Chris Hrouda, president, Red Cross Biomedical Services.
“Unfortunately, when people stop donating blood, it forces doctors to make hard
choices about patient care, which is why we need those who are healthy and well
to rollup a sleeve and give the gift of life.”
“We know that people want to help,
but they may be hesitant to visit a blood drive during this time. We want to
assure the public that blood donation is a safe process, and we have put
additional precautions in place at our blood drives and donation centers to
protect all who come out,” said Hrouda.
The Red Cross has implemented new
measures to ensure blood drives and donation centers are even safer for our
donors and staff, including:
Checking the temperature of staff
and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.
Providing hand sanitizer for use
before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process.
Spacing beds, where possible, to
follow social distancing practices between blood donors.
Increasing enhanced disinfecting of
surfaces and equipment.
At each blood drive and donation
center, Red Cross employees already follow thorough safety protocols to help
prevent the spread of any type of infection, including:
Wearing gloves and changing gloves
with each donor.
Routinely wiping down donor-touched
areas.
Using sterile collection sets for
every donation.
Preparing the arm for donation with
an aseptic scrub.
There is no data or evidence that
this coronavirus can be transmitted by blood transfusion, and there have been
no reported cases of transfusion transmission for any respiratory virus
including this coronavirus worldwide.
“Volunteer donors are the unsung
heroes for patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions. If you are
healthy, feeling well and eligible to give, please schedule an appointment to
give now,” added Hrouda.
To donate blood, individuals need to
bring a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of
identification that are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of
age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh
at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate
blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also
must meet certain height and weight requirements.
Donors can also save up to 15
minutes at the blood drive by completing a RapidPass®. With RapidPass®, donors
complete the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on
the day of donation, from a mobile device or computer. To complete a
RapidPass®, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass or use the
Red Cross Blood Donor App.
