Starting in August the Red Cross faced a blood shortage for hospital patients that rely on donors for transfusions and surgeries. Turnout for blood drives decreased by 10% due to the COVID-19 Delta variant becoming more contagious according to the organization’s website.
At the start of the pandemic, the blood supply shortage was not as severe as it is now.
Lisa Shave, Program Coordinator for the Medical Office Assistant program at MCCC and front-line worker in a blood bank at a Pennsylvania hospital says “Last year during the pandemic people actually really wanted a reason to leave their house. So, last year there actually was a lot of donors.”
She also explained that because of COVID, “a lot of the surgeries in the hospital were actually canceled or postponed. So, it was almost like we had a lot of blood last year but no one to give it to. And now all of the surgeries that were postponed are back and less people are going to donate.”
Diane Concannon, communications director for the Red Cross Organization in the New Jersey region for the past 18 years says “the emergency appeal went into effect at the end of last month because the blood supply is so low. That’s why we are saying to people, please come out to donate, make an appointment, keep the appointment, and help save lives.”
In a positive sign for the organization, a blood drive held in Hightstown, New Jersey on October 23 was completely filled up with appointments. Shown on their site, Red Cross was completely booked with people willing to donate blood despite the concerns with the Delta variant.
Kyle Hahn, a blood donor volunteer at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center said “I know a lot of people that either are ineligible to give blood or are kinda nervous to do so, so I just feel privileged to be in a position where I can donate. There is always a huge need.”
MCCC Athletic Director, John Simone, who attempted to donate every year pre-covid time says that “I kind of knew about it when it came to Mercer but I really didn’t put much thought into it until I actually saw people at the Red Cross and then I found out.”
So who will the donors help?
Posie Carpenter, a registered nurse, and the director for the volunteer service nursing network for Red Cross explains that several groups of people benefit most from blood donations. These include “Cancer patients because cancer patients get platelet donations an awful lot. Trauma patients because they bleed and then they need red blood cells. Sickle cell patients, these are patients that are born with an odd red blood cell, predominately [seen in] Black people.”
In hospitals, the most common shortage of blood is Blood Type O and Blood Type B.
Shave says “So, the biggest shortage right now is for O blood. And 45 percent of the population is actually O. So, if 45 percent of the people just went out and donated, we could start to replenish our supply. We are also short on B blood as well. But less people are B.”
According to Carpenter, to help increase the blood supply, the Red Cross has been hosting more and larger blood drives but more spaced-out ones as well.
Shave says, “I just try to educate people on the process because it is not as scary as it seems, and it is extremely valuable.”
After a person donates blood to any blood drive, their blood is sent back to the center and tested for any issues. From that point there is a 35 day window for it to be used.
Shave says, “Just by donating one whole blood unit, it can actually be split into 3 different parts, so you could save up to 3 people’s lives.”
