Blood centers across the First Coast are seeing a significant drop in donations as efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 grow, canceling many public events including blood drives.
Now, local blood centers including LifeSouth and OneBlood are urging donors to give blood as soon as possible, and asking organizations to host blood drives.
The FDA says there have been no reported or suspected cases of transfusion-transmitted coronavirus, and the virus poses no known risk to patients receiving blood transfusions.
“We need people to start turning out in force to give blood,” said Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
LifeSouth says they are taking precautions to minimize the risk to blood donors. Blood donors are needed every day, and anyone who is in good health is encouraged to donate.
Donating ensures the community blood supply remains stable as the virus spreads, travel bans increase, and the ongoing impact of the current flu season affects the number of donors able to give, the FDA said. Blood centers are regulated by the FDA and must follow specific guidelines to ensure safe blood is available for patients at all times.
“Blood drives across the country are being canceled. This is going to end up in an unprecedented situation if we’re not careful,” said Chris Hrouda, president of Biomedical Services for the American Red Cross. “We are doing everything in our power to ensure that we don’t get to a critical level of the blood supply. If we continue to see blood drives cancel, we are going to reach a level of inventory of which we haven’t seen in the past.”
To find a blood drive near you or for more information about hosting a blood drive, you can visit LifeSouth online or call 888-795-2707. You can also visit OneBlood's site to search for mobile drives and donor centers near you.