Need for blood donations remains high
Even though businesses and other social activities have shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for blood donations has not.
Cynthia De La Torre, external communications manager for the American Red Cross Blood Services, said Friday there have been about 9,000 cancellations of blood drives across the country because of the virus outbreak. That has resulted in 300,000 uncollected blood donations nationally.
“The public has been answering our call for blood donations; however we still need those (organizations) to host blood drives, because we are canceling blood drives,” De La Torre said. “Eighty percent of blood donations come from hosted blood drives. We still need that support from the community, as far as organizations opening their doors to host blood drives.”
A news release from Idaho Gov. Brad Little said the American Red Cross “is facing a severe blood shortage … due to coronavirus concerns.
“As a longtime blood donor and supporter of the American Red Cross, I urge healthy citizens of Idaho to step up and help their neighbors by making an appointment to donate blood as soon as possible,” Little said.
De La Torre said there is an ongoing critical need for blood.
“We’re encouraging the public to schedule their blood donation appointments in the weeks ahead,” she said. “The crisis is not over. We still have to maintain a sufficient blood supply, because the need for blood is constant. The shelf life (of a pint of blood) is 42 days, so as soon as we’re getting it, we’re providing it to hospitals.”
De La Torre said as the cases of coronavirus increase there will be fewer healthy people able to donate blood. And, typically, only 3 out of 100 people donate blood, anyway.
“So we’re always at a constant need. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood.”
Those in need include cancer patients, accident victims, heart surgery patients and premature babies.
“These needs, they don’t stop,” De La Torre said. “We want to help prevent any type of shortage on top of the pandemic that we have.”
That sentiment was echoed by the other nonprofit organization that collects blood donations in north central Idaho and southeastern Washington.
“Our blood collection sites are a ‘first response’ action to this outbreak versus a gathering that needs to be avoided,” said Dr. Ralph Vassallo, chief medical and scientific officer for Vitalant, formerly Inland Northwest Blood Center. “If you’re healthy, you’re needed now more than ever. We cannot let it get to the point where there’s no blood available for trauma patients, those undergoing cancer treatment and patients who need regular, ongoing blood transfusions just to survive.”
The American Red Cross office in Lewiston at 508 Thain Road is open Mondays from 1:30-5:30 p.m. De La Torre asked people to call in advance to make an appointment to donate so staff members can make arrangements to keep people at a safe social distance.
More information and appointment scheduling is available at the American Red Cross website at www.redcross.org or by calling (800) 733-2767. Donation scheduling for Vitalant, located at 1213 21st St. in Lewiston, is available by visiting www.vitalant.org or calling (877) 258-4825.
Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or (208) 983-2326.