by Kevin Zimmermann
UNDATED (WHBL) – The cancellation of nearly 2,700 Red Cross blood drives nationwide due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak has led to a severe blood shortage. That’s 86,000 fewer donations. More than 80% of blood the Red Cross collects comes from sponsoring organizations that are now closed, and so the Red Cross will be adding appointment slots at donation centers and expanding capacity at many community blood drives over the next few weeks.
To address concerns about COVID-19, new measures have been emplaced, including temperature checks of staff and donors before entering the drive, more hand sanitizer stations, spacing beds for social distancing, and enhanced disinfecting of surfaces and equipment. For the record, no instance of transmission of any respiratory virus by blood donation or transfusion has ever been recorded.
If you’d like to sign up for an appointment or locate a blood drive, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
