APPLETON, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) -- Blood donations are seeing a nationwide spike in cancelations due to Coronavirus concerns. The Red Cross is reporting 600 cancelled blood drives across the country. That means about 18,000 fewer donations of blood products.
In Wisconsin, at least 7 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled. Sponsors of the drives have expressed concerns over contracting Coronavirus. Those cancelled drives have resulted in 300 fewer donations.
There is a need for a blood transfusion every two seconds in the United States. These cancelations are a cause for concerns over our blood supply.
The Community Blood Center in Appleton has also seen more blood drives and donations cancel.
“We’re really worried about the future of the blood supply in the next couple weeks,” said John Hagins, Community Blood Center President & CEO.
The Blood Center is putting out the call for donors.
“There’s no substitute for donated blood. Even during this current emergency, we need blood donors to continue to replenish the blood supply for patients that might be going through cancer treatments, cardiac surgeries, or victims of trauma,” said Hagins.
Lisa Jermain knows this all too well. She started donating platelets at the Blood Center after one of her friends went through a battle with cancer.
“I feel like it’s the least that we can do to continue to show up and do what we can. Especially in times of uncertainty, I think it helps to look for ways to be of service to others,” said Jermain.
The Blood Center supplies more than twenty hospitals with blood products.
“We need 1,000 blood donations every week here at the Community Blood Center and we need that to continue even though we’re fighting the Coronavirus,” said Hagins.
Statewide, the Red Cross is also concerned. Laura McGuire of the Red Cross says they’ve added extra measures to their already safe and sanitary procedures.
Some of these steps include social distancing, spreading out of donation beds, extra health history screening, wiping and sanitizing of common touchpoints, in addition to the obvious use of sterile needles and antiseptic scrub.
Versiti Blood Centers provides blood products for nearly 250 hospitals. They’ve also experienced a sharp decline in donations throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. They’ve lost out on more than 100 community blood drives and 2,700 units of blood because of coronavirus concerns.
The Community Blood Center is taking extra precautions to put donors more at ease with the process.
“We always have a robust cleaning process but we’re going to enhance that even more over the next few weeks. It’s already a safe process,” said Hagins.
Hagins points out that Coronavirus is a respiratory illness.
“You can’t get Coronavirus by donating blood. Everything is sterile during the process and really the impact that a blood donor will have on a patient is just immeasurable.”
As a donor, Lisa Jermain agrees.
“This is about the cleanest place you’ll find so it’s a great place to be,” said Jermain.
Hagins has a simple message.
“It’s really important, even during this period of time, if you’re healthy, you come out and donate blood,” said Hagins.
Donating blood takes about an hour and anyone 17 or older who’s in good health and meets eligibility requirements is encouraged to give.
To find a blood center near you, check out these websites: