Vitalant seeks 850 blood donors this week

Vitalant is hosting another blood drive this Monday and Tuesday to help fill the gap of thousands of donations lost in Arizona due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Vitalant is seeking 847 donors at the Gila River Arena to build its blood supply leading up to Labor Day, according to Vitalant spokesperson Sue Thew. Thew explained these donation drives are especially important due to the uncertainty of when schools will return to in-person classes and host blood drives.

"Teen donations and school blood drives are our biggest source of blood donations, so people can help us replace some of those donations that would have been collected at high school and college blood drives in August," Thew said.

Over the last several months, Thew said 556 blood drives were canceled, which resulted in a loss of 17,000 blood donations.

But hundreds of people in the community are still depending on blood transfusions, said Thew.

"It's a great way to serve your community by saving lives with one hour of your time to donate blood," Thew said. "It's bad enough that a lot of people are in the hospitals right now. People need to be confident that there will always be an ample blood supply for them should they or a loved one need it."

Since April, Vitalant has held several blood drives in Arizona, which saw hundreds of blood donations, according to Thew.

People who donated at the Gila River Arena drive in May should also consider donating again on Monday or Tuesday, Thew said.

So far, only 305 appointments have been filled for the upcoming blood drive, Thew said.

Hospitals are also in urgent need of convalescent plasma donations from fully recovered COVID-19 survivors. Right now, patient needs for plasma in Arizona are 400% greater than donations, said Thew.

Those who donate blood at Gila River Arena will also be tested to see if they're positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

Testing positive for antibodies does not indicate if the person had COVID-19, but if the person has developed antibodies, they may be eligible to donate convalescent plasma for people who are still recovering from COVID-19, according to a Vitalant statement.

Blood donors can log in to their Vitalant confidential donor account online to access the test results two weeks after they donate. More information is available at vitalant.org/antibodytest.

To donate convalescent plasma, people must meet eligibility requirements such as a laboratory diagnosis of COVID-19 and be symptom-free for 28 days. They can apply online at vitalant.org/COVIDfree.

The Arizona Coyotes, Gila River Arena, Dignity Health and Streets of New York partnered with Vitalant for the upcoming blood drive.

The new Coyotes president and CEO, Xavier Gutierrez, will be the first blood donor at 8 a.m. on Monday.

Those who donate blood will receive a voucher for a complimentary ticket to a future 2020-21 Coyotes home game, an entry into a raffle to win an autographed hockey stick and a voucher for pizza and a drink.

Donors will also be entered to win a 2020 Volkswagon Tiguan S.

People interested in donating blood should make an appointment online at vitalant.org/coyotes to avoid wait times. Donors will enter Gila River Arena at the far east door of Gate 4 and parking will be available in Lot G on the east side of the arena.

If someone is unable to donate on Monday or Tuesday, they can also find a list of open donation locations online at vitalant.org.

Hundreds of people in the community are still depending on blood transfusions.

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