By Andrea RahmanÂ
TheStatehouseFile.comÂ
INDIANAPOLIS — A moment of discomfort donating blood could save up to three lives as well as being one of the ways to help others as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on all parts of the community.
Since state and local governments have restricted travel and ordered many businesses closed because of the highly contagious virus, many community blood drives were canceled. That left a critical demand for blood donations. The American Red Cross, which supplies 40% of blood for transfusions, reported in March that 2,700 blood drives were canceled, translating into a loss of about 86,000 donations.
In the past few weeks, the national need for blood products has increased by 30% after a decline in early April. Now, hospitals are performing surgeries that were postponed earlier in the year. Even though there was a sufficient supply of blood donated after the overwhelming need at the beginning of the outbreak, blood can only sit for so long. New blood, plasma and platelets are always needed.
Tiffany Taylor, external communications manager at the American Red Cross, said the organization needs 13,000 blood donations daily to keep up with the need from hospitals across the nation. The demand for platelets, which are regularly used to treat those with cancer, are also high as there is a need for 2,600 donations each day.
The American Red Cross and Versiti Blood Center of Indiana, recently known as the Indiana Blood Center, are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.
Both groups state on their websites that they take the temperature of staff and donors before allowing them in the donation center. All involved parties must also wear a protective face mask; if a donor does not have one, a mask will be provided.
All donors must also answer questions regarding their health that day to prevent someone with COVID-19 symptoms from entering the building. Donation chairs are set up six feet apart from one another, and so are seats in the refreshment and waiting areas. Beds are cleaned and gloves are changed after each donation, and pens at the sign-in desk are regularly sanitized. Appointments are encouraged with both organizations to limit the number of people waiting in one place.
Even though they take many steps to prevent someone with the virus from donating blood, the Red Cross assures donors and recipients that there is no evidence that coronavirus—or any other respiratory virus—can be transmitted through blood transfusions.
In addition to blood donations, Versiti and the Red Cross are also seeking plasma donations from individuals who have fully recovered from COVID-19 to aid others who have been recently diagnosed. The antibodies in the plasma of someone who has recovered from an infection can greatly help another person who is ill with the same condition, and there is some evidence to suggest that this is the case with coronavirus patients.
Donors must be of at least 16 years of age and meet height, weight and health requirements. Those with type O-negative blood are universal donors and can give blood to anyone of any blood type, so donations from these individuals are needed most. Blood from African Americans is also most needed because of a decrease in diverse blood supply, likely due to the higher coronavirus rates among African Americans and other minorities. A diverse blood supply helps patients with rare blood types because they must be as closely matched with donors as possible to reduce complications.
To make an appointment to donate blood products at a center near you, go to donate.indiana.versiti.org or redcrossblood.org.
Andrea Rahman is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.
