“We’re in an emergency” — Red Cross pleads for blood donations, as supplies dwindle

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - The American Red Cross is issuing an urgent plea, its first-ever “National Blood Crisis.”

The organization says it has less than a one-day supply of the most-needed blood types.

Officials are blaming the recent surge in COVID-19 cases, saying not only are they having trouble finding places to host a blood drive--they can’t find enough healthy donors either.

“For the first time ever, we’re in an emergency crisis. And this is driven by the low donor turnout (at) blood drives. When you have 5, 6, 700,00 new cases of COVID-19 each day, that affects blood donors. When you have a positive case of COVID, you are not eligible to donate for at least 14 days. And for many blood donors, it is going to be even longer. That puts a big impact on the nation’s blood supply,” said Zach Bernath, with the Northeast Indiana Chapter of the American Red Cross.

If you’d like to schedule an appointment to donate, you can do so here.