Blood shortage becomes crisis during pandemic
In June, the nationwide blood supply dropped to “red” level, indicating dangerously low supply at blood centers.
The latest crisis in the lingering pandemic is a nationwide blood shortage that threatens people being treated for trauma, surgeries and cancer.
Hospitals and blood donation agencies including the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania and Miller-Keystone Blood Center that serves Berks County have put out urgent calls for donors.
In June, the nationwide blood supply dropped to “red” level, indicating dangerously low supply at blood centers, according to the AABB Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism, ABC News reported.
According to the Red Cross, the supplier of 40% of the nation’s blood supply, on average, an American needs blood products every two seconds, requiring blood banks to maintain vast supplies of blood and platelets.
Patients with certain diseases, such as sickle cell disease and cancer, may require frequent transfusions throughout their lives. A single-car accident victim, per the Red Cross, can require up to 100 units of blood.
Dr. Claudia Cohn, chief medical officer of the American Association of Blood Banks, said the current situation with blood supply “is the most concerning I have seen in my career,” the ABC News report stated.
In southeastern Pennsylvania, the Red Cross has noted
“a severe blood shortage and issued a call for donors of all blood types — especially type O and those giving platelets.”
The Red Cross needs to collect more than 1,000 additional blood donations each day to meet current demand as hospitals respond to an unusually high number of traumas and emergency room visits, organ transplants and elective surgeries, a press release from the regional office stated.
Like the Red Cross, Miller-Keystone Blood Bank in the Lehigh Valley and Berks County has been posting calls for blood donors on social media and offering incentives to get people to donate.
Miller-Keystone information notes that blood transfusions save more than 4 million Americans each year.
In a statement earlier this year, the center noted that cancellation of blood drives during the early months of COVID affected blood donations dramatically, and both Red Cross and Miller-Keystone say supplies have not caught up with demand.
That demand has increased as those who delayed medical procedures during COVID’s earlier months are now scheduling surgeries. Another troubling aspect of increased need is the rise in violent crime plaguing the nation’s cities, including Philadelphia, Reading and Allentown. Hospitals in those regions are seeing more victims of gunshots and stabbings requiring blood transfusions.
“In a year defined by tumultuous events, it seems remarkable that we again are operating in unprecedented circumstances,” Chris Hrouda, president of the American Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in a statement. He added that the Red Cross is distributing much more blood than it did before the pandemic, primarily the blood type O positive, leaving inventories alarmingly depleted.
Blood donations are especially crucial for people with cancer because many cancer treatments impair the bone marrow’s ability to make blood cells, says Melissa Pessin, chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“People with cancer are heavily dependent on blood transfusions to provide what their bodies cannot during treatment,” she says. MSK also relies on blood transfusions during surgeries that result in heavy blood loss.
The strain on doctors, nurses and hospitals caused by COVID-19 has been exacerbated with the lingering effect of blood shortages. This is one shortage, however, that many of us can help alleviate. Blood donation is not recommended for everyone, but there are many who can give safely and conveniently.
The Red Cross and MillerKeystone are scheduling appointments now and directing potential donors to community sites. Don’t hesitate to give. As the Miller-Keystone slogan says: When you give a pint, you give more than just blood — you give the gift of life, you give someone hope for a second chance, and you give back to the community. Don’t let COVID win this fight: Make an appointment to give blood.