The American Red Cross is sounding the alarm over the supply of blood at the ready - inventory has continued to drop at an alarming rate of about 35% over the past month nationwide.
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This comes as flu activity is exploding across the country, where overburdened hospitals are now being forced to triage critical blood products.
Two of the three regional blood banks in Washington state are facing a severe blood shortage, exacerbated by heavy rains and floods in December and a slowdown in donations.
The shortage is critical for Type O blood and platelets, crucial for emergency treatments.
Bloodworks Northwest and the American Red Cross are importing blood from other regions to meet demand, but the situation is not sustainable.
Bloodworks Northwest has 38,000 open donation appointments, with nearly 23,000 needed by Valentine’s Day to stabilize the blood supply.
Donating blood can save multiple lives and is crucial for those in need of critical blood types and platelets.
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