American Red Cross
COVID-19
March 30, 2020

Thanks to the many who gave blood and scheduled upcoming appointments, the American Red Cross has been able to meet immediate patient needs. During this uncertain time, we encourage individuals to keep scheduled blood donation appointments and to make new blood donation appointments for the weeks ahead to ensure a stable supply throughout this pandemic.

· There remains an ongoing need for platelet donations due to their short, five-day shelf life.

· 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. We greatly appreciate the generosity of the public to help stock hospital shelves.

· 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. It's important to remember that blood is perishable and cannot be stockpiled.

Each Red Cross blood drive and donation center follows the highest standards of safety and infection control. To ensure the health of employees, volunteers and staff, precautions include:

· Checking temperatures of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy.

· Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, & throughout the donation process.

· Following social distancing between donors including entry, donation and refreshment areas.

· Routinely disinfecting surfaces, equipment and donor-touched areas.

· Wearing gloves, and changing gloves often and staff & volunteers wearing masks

· Using sterile collection sets and an aseptic scrub for every donation.

Blood donation is essential to ensuring the health of our communities. The need for blood is constant, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in need.
· Every day patients rely on lifesaving blood transfusions including those who need surgery, victims of car accidents and other emergencies, or patients suffering from cancer.

· Right now, people are following public health guidance to keep their families safe—and that includes contributing to a readily available supply of blood for hospitals.

· There is no evidence and there are no reported cases of the coronavirus—or any respiratory virus—being transmitted by a blood transfusion.

· This is the time to take care of one another. If you are healthy and feeling well, please make an appointment to donate mid-April and afterby using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

· Help the American Red Cross deliver its lifesaving mission nationwide during this public health emergency by donating at redcross.org.

Q: How many blood drives have been canceled due to coronavirus?

A: As the coronavirus pandemic has grown here in the U.S., we have seen blood drive cancellations grow at an alarming rate. As of March 27, more than 10,000 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the country due to coronavirus concerns, resulting in some 300,000 fewer blood donations.

Thanks to the many who gave blood and scheduled upcoming appointments over the past couple of weeks, the American Red Cross has been able to meet immediate patient needs. During this uncertain time, we encourage individuals to keep scheduled blood donation appointments and to make new blood donation appointments for the weeks ahead to ensure a stable supply throughout this pandemic.

We greatly appreciate the generosity of the public to help stock hospital shelves for patients in need. As experts have emphasized, there is no certain end date in this fight against coronavirus and the Red Cross needs the help of blood donors and blood drive hosts to maintain a sufficient blood supply for weeks to come.