American Red Cross officials have asked for help in the form of blood donations, and say the need is always higher in the winter, particularly this winter, amid the pandemic.
Why the winter?
“It’s due to the cancellation of blood drives, in large parts,” said Cari Dighton with the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region.
Dighton told KCBS Radio that this winter, that is added to the trouble the pandemic has caused in donations.
However, she noted that after the initial drop off one year ago, donors have been coming back and making reservations to do so.
In fact, blood donation has played a part in treating COVID-19 patients.
“Over the past year, we have distributed over 150,000 plasma products from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 to help with the treatment of seriously ill patients, and that’s in addition to the blood products we have distributed to hospitals for cancer patients, trauma patients, those that need transfusions and those that need surgery,” Dighton said.
What they need now, she added, is whole blood donations. Type O is always the most in-demand and people can come even if they just received a COVID-19 vaccine.
“So in most cases there is no deferral time for individuals who have received the COVID-19 vaccine, as long as they’re symptom free and feeling well at the time of donation,” Dighton told KCBS Radio. “But we do encourage folks to remember which type of vaccine they got and to keep that information in-hand.”
She said they do encourage folks to remember which type of vaccine they received because there are a few odd exceptions.
Dighton said that along with the call for blood donations, Red Cross officials want to issue a “thank you,” as well.
“We really have seen the American public turn out in an incredible way,” she said. “Many blood donors we’ve seen over the past year were first time donors, and that’s because they realized ‘this is something that I can do during the pandemic’.”
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