OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — The American Red Cross is down 86,000 donations nationwide. The group usually collects 13,000 in a single day, but with the virus numbers have gone down drastically.
This equates to about a weeks' worth of blood, creating trying times for an organization others look to for help.
The Red Cross is distributing blood faster than it can come in, and the group is concerned about being able to meet patient needs.
"80% of our blood drives are held at schools, offices, churches," said Samantha Pollard, communications director with the local Red Cross. "With this shutdown a lot of drives are being canceled so we are scrambling to hold blood drives, sending people to donation centers like this one."
The other conundrum is that the blood bank needs virus-free donors, so everyone volunteering to donate blood will have to have their temperature taken before being allowed to donate.
The donation process from start to finish is estimated to take around an hour. For the nearest donation center, visit redcross.org
