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Red Cross Pleading for Blood Donations with Continued Shortage

March 20th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

The American Red Cross is pleading for blood donations as supply is at an all-time low due to the coronavirus crisis.American Red Cross spokeswoman Regina Boothe Bratton told WBAL Radio that the organization has never seen a shortage like this. She reported that last Thursday there was a deficit of 8,000 and one week later they are  150,000 units short. The American Red Cross is getting blood requests from hospital across Maryland they're not able to fulfill due to the shortage…

Boothe Bratton said the organization is following recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which means frequently disinfecting  hard surfaces and any surface a donor comes into contact with before the donor, staff, or any volunteer can even enter the donation center. They are also checking donors temperatures. Donors are encouraged to call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to set up a time to donate blood. Any type blood is desperately needed, especially Type O negative blood, which is the universal donor

One Response to “Red Cross Pleading for Blood Donations with Continued Shortage”

  1. March 20, 2020 at 7:59 am, Cheri said:

    I searched for local blood drives last evening and the next one I could find in our area isn’t for another week. With everything closing I guess it’s not possible to add a drive.

    Reply

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