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With so many people sick with Covid-19, colds, flu, RSV, blood donations have slowed dramatically, causing a severe shortage of blood supplies.
Here is a Press Release from LifeShare Blood Center:
There is a critical need for volunteer blood donors across the region as the demand for blood from local hospitals far exceeds the number of blood donations.
LifeShare Blood Center supplies dozens of hospitals in Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas with hundreds of blood products each day. This blood treats critical patients who are still undergoing treatment for cancer, heart disease, and blood disorders. However, due to low blood inventory, and high demand for blood products, LifeShare is currently rationing blood to hospitals in order to fulfill the needs of our areas most critical patients. This is not sustainable.
Since the recent Omicron surge LifeShare has seen a dramatic decrease in blood donors. Unlike with previous Covid-19 surges, local hospitals are still preforming their normal operations, and thus, the need for blood has not decreased.
Currently, LifeShare is running on a critically low inventory. As of Wednesday morning, LifeShare had no units of B negative or O negative blood in Texarkana. O negative is the universal blood type and is often given to mothers and infants. One out of every three people will use blood at some point in their life.
To answer the call, LifeShare encourages healthy adults to make a donation appointment at a donor center, or visit any LifeShare mobile blood drive in their community. Donation appointments and a list of mobile blood drives can be found at www.lifeshare.org.
LifeShare also continues to reach out to businesses and churches to try to schedule blood drives. Young donors are also being asked to give. The number of young donors has dramatically decreased since the outbreak of COVID-19. To inquire about scheduling a blood drive please email: volunteer@lifeshare.org.
LifeShare continues to practice social distancing at all blood drives, including additional space between donor beds, enhanced and more frequent cleanings, and the use of masks by all staff working with donors.