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Ineligible donors and fears of contracting the novel coronavirus have decreased the number of available blood donors prompting the Red Cross to declare a critical need for blood.
At this time, the supply is sufficient, but as the crisis wears on those supplies will need to be constantly replenished.
While treatment for COVID-19 does not increase the need for blood supplies the way that many disaster declarations do, it impacts the amount of available donors, which may lead to a shortage because volunteer donors are the only way to collect blood.
The Red Cross said that healthy individuals can still donate even if they live in an area where a shelter in place has been declared.
The blood drive in Orient Monday showed how rural Iowans step up in times of crisis. The drive was steadily busy through most of the day.
“We’ve had 14 (donors) so far,” said volunteer Jennifer Ray at 1:30 p.m. “It’s been pretty steady with breaks of only 15 minutes or so.”
Additional protocols were put into place to ensure the safety of the workers and the donors. Anyone who entered the bloodmobile bus, as well as all donors, had their temperature checked beforehand. No nonessential personnel were allowed on the bus. Benches in the waiting area were marked with blue tape to keep waiting donors 6 feet apart.
The Red Cross website asks potential donors to keep their appointments in the coming weeks:
“There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus and the Red Cross needs the help of blood and platelet donors and blood drive hosts to maintain a sufficient blood supply for weeks to come. In times of crisis, the Red Cross is fortunate to witness the best of humanity as people roll up a sleeve to help those in need.”
Recovered patients
The Red Cross is currently evaluating the plasma from patients who have fully recovered from COVID-19 to determine if the antibodies in their blood might serve as a treatment for patients who are seriously ill with the virus. This is called convalescent plasma.
Those who have recovered or clinicians interested in helping with the study can contact the Red Cross for additional details at www.redcrossblood.org or 1-800-REDCROSS.
Upcoming dates
• April 20, 12 to 6 p.m. Trinity Lutheran Church in Creston
• April 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Southwestern Community College in Creston
Times and locations are subject to change. Consult the Red Cross website to verify and make an appointment at www.redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-REDCROSS.