Blood Donations Needed During Covid-19 Pandemic

Red Cross phlebotomist April Hall works with donor of convalescent plasma Alisha Wolf. (Dennis Drenner/American Red Cross)

Did you know that if you’ve had Covid-19 your blood could save a life?

Now that school has started again, and our lives have once again become busier, blood donations have decreased. The problem is donations are needed now more than ever with the ongoing pandemic.

According to Mike Wiest Account Manager at the American Red Cross here in Washington county people suffering in the hospital from Covid-19 can benefit from Convalescent plasma. What that means is that people who have had the virus and now have antibodies to it can donate their plasma that is then made into a blood serum. This serum is given, with great results, to the Covid-19 patients who are extremely Ill and in the hospital.

Also, when you donate blood you can find out whether you have the virus antibodies in your system.

There are many ways you can donate your blood. One way is to go to a blood drive, and that’s probably the easiest since there are usually 20 to 30 drives going on any given month. To find a blood drive you can go to the website redcrossblood.org, give them your zip code and they will give you times and locations to donate. You can also check out their website for more information on how to hold a blood drive or donate in their facilities.

Check out the link below for more information.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/prevention-cures/518196-red-cross-testing-of-donated-blood-for-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR3qMTC250M102bnCWRKSH5aNiE3o19Bvx-RkC_B67g0YI8PoXlKMqJbkt4