A phlebotomist tends to want a blood donor during the Starts, Stripes and Pints blood transfusion event in Louisville, Ky., in July. Increased numbers of organ transplants, trauma cases and elective surgeries postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased demand for blood products.
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Jon Cherry / Getty Images
A phlebotomist tends to want a blood donor during the Starts, Stripes and Pints blood transfusion event in Louisville, Ky., in July. Increased numbers of organ transplants, trauma cases and elective surgeries postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased demand for blood products.
Jon Cherry / Getty Images
Dozens of hospitals and trauma centers around the country say they are in dire need of blood donations after what the American Red Cross is calling for. a nationwide blood crisis.
The Red Cross said in a statement This week, dangerously low blood supplies are posing risks related to patient care, leading to healthcare workers making difficult decisions about who should receive a blood transfusion and who will need to wait. until there is more blood.
In recent weeks, the Red Cross – which supplies nearly 40% of the country’s blood supply – has said it has less than a day’s supply of key blood types and has had to limit its distribution. blood products to hospitals.
The organization says sometimes up to a quarter of a hospital’s blood needs go unmet. In addition, this pandemic also contributed to a 62% decrease in blood transfusions at schools and colleges.
Dr Baia Lasky, medical director of the Red Cross, said: “Winter weather across the country and the recent increase in COVID-19 cases are adding to the dire situation where supplies are scarce. blood supply must face”.
In Los Angeles County, health officials said one of their trauma centers, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, had to close for several hours earlier this week because of anemia — an important step County officials said they did not proceed. more than 30 years.
“Not available [an] With enough blood supply, hospitals will be limited in the number of surgeries they can perform. The blood shortages associated with the current surgery will likely result in delays and cancellations of scheduled surgeries,” Dr Christina Ghaly, the county’s director of health services, told NPR in a statement. An announcement.
Ghaly said unless the county sees the current blood supply to trauma centers by blood banks across Southern California immediately, many of them could be forced to close more in the coming days. next week – and for longer.
Likewise in Mississippi, officials with Mississippi Blood Service (MBS) tell local TV station WJTV It is increasingly difficult to find blood donors. And as blood donations are hitting hospitals across the state so hard, many patients are told they have to wait.
Merle Eldridge, MBS’s director of donor recruitment, told WJTV: “We need to see between 200 and 250 donors a day to meet those needs. Right now, we’re seeing around 100 to 150 Donors”.
The nationwide blood crisis is also affecting hospitals in other states such as Montana, Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina and Michigan.
The Red Cross is asking for donors of all blood types, but especially those with Blood Type O, appointment now to give out in the coming weeks. In addition, it also Looking for volunteers to help at the blood drive and transport blood products to the hospital.
For extra impetus, the Red Cross is teaming up with the NFL for National Blood Donor Month this month. People who donate blood, platelets or plasma will automatically be Enter for a chance to win two tickets to the upcoming Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, as well as a home theater package and a $500 e-gift card to watch the game at home.
Rachel Treisman contributed to this report.
