Our nation’s blood supply is in some major trouble currently, according to the American Red Cross. On Monday, the Red Cross declared a national blood crisis for the second time ever in its history. Blood and platelet levels have fallen to a dangerous low, officials say. Eligible Americans are being urged to schedule a donation as quickly as possible, particularly people with type O-positive blood. “[T]his summer, blood donations simply are not keeping pace with hospital demand, and inventories —especially type O blood—remain under significant strain,” said Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, in a statement from the American Red Cross. Dangerously low Even in the best of times, the national blood supply lies on shaky ground. Roughly two-thirds of Americans are eligible to donate, yet about 3% of eligible people do so annually. And since most blood products have a limited shelf life (only five days for platelets), hospitals constantly need new donations to keep the supply stocked.
In January 2022, the American Red Cross was forced to declare its first ever blood supply crisis, likely fueled by the surge of covid-19 cases seen that winter caused by the emergence of the Omicron variant. And though the organization had reportedly taken additional safeguards to prevent such a crisis again, history has now repeated itself.
