Coronavirus responses have severely impacted the U.S. blood supply as Vitalant and other blood centers across the country are struggling to maintain stable inventories. With school closures and workers at home, 25% of Vitalant’s blood collections anticipated in March have disappeared—almost overnight. And that number continues to grow. Through the end of June, Vitalant—the nation’s second largest blood collector—has had over 1,400 blood drives canceled, resulting in nearly 41,000 uncollected blood donations.
Vitalant strongly recommends that healthy donors schedule an appointment for a donation over the coming days and weeks—instead of donating without an appointment right now—to help us better serve donors. Please call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825) or visit vitalant.org.
Vitalant has nearly 125 donation centers across the country; donors can also give blood at mobile blood drives, which must continue to be organized. Blood donors and mobile blood drives will be needed in the coming weeks and months to ensure a stable blood supply for hospitals.
The Lafayette Vitalant blood donation center is located at 1503 Bertrand Drive.
FEMA has specifically identified blood donation as an “essential and integral component of the emergency support function” as ongoing guidance from government entities recommend that people avoid gatherings, practice social distancing and stay home. But blood drives are not gatherings: they are blood donation operations that are key to our public health and safety. In a March 19 letter to all emergency management agencies, FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor stressed: “Donating blood is a safe process and people should not hesitate to give. Blood drives have the highest standards of safety and infection control.”
“Just as the social distancing guidance recommends that it’s okay for people to leave home for necessities like groceries, or a doctor’s visit, or the pharmacy—donating blood is a necessity.” – Pete Gaynor, FEMA
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) encourages people who are well to continue to donate blood as it is an essential activity, even amidst COVID-19 response measures. “In healthcare settings all across the United States, donated blood is a lifesaving, essential part of caring for patients,” the CDC declared in a March 19 statement. “CDC is supporting blood centers by providing recommendations that will keep donors and staff safe…and encouraging donors to make donation appointments ahead of time.”
Currently, all blood types and components are needed, with a critical need for platelets and type O blood donations. Platelets have a very short shelf life—only five days. Type O-negative blood is the universal blood type: ER doctors reach for it first to help stabilize patients before their blood type is known.
