Tri-State blood centers say there's a strong need for people to give blood right now.
"We are on an appeal for Type O donors," reports Alecia Lipton with Hoxworth. "If you know that you are Type O-positive or O-negative, we need you to come in now. We've had massive usage in the past two weeks due to traumas and transplant surgeries. We need all eligible donors - specifically with Type O blood - to make an appointment to donate now."
The Red Cross and Community Blood Center of Dayton are also asking for Type O donors. Community Blood Center - which serves a 15-county area in Southwest Ohio and Eastern Indiana - is in critical need of Type B-negative donors, too.
The Dayton agency says it's been experiencing shortages throughout November and expects that will continue through the December holidays. It shared some of its supply with Michigan hospitals following the deadly school shooting Nov. 30 in Oxford, Mich.
"With this tragedy and hearing that there (were) at least seven people in critical condition, we felt we needed to help," said CBC Hospital Lab Manager Gavin Patch in a Dec. 1 statement.
The pandemic continues to keep some people away from donation centers. Blood centers say the holidays are often sparse, as well.
"We need at least 350 blood donors a day and 50 platelet donors," Hoxworth's Lipton says. "Hopefully weather will cooperate with us and that won't throw another wrench in, but December in Cincinnati... you never know."
According to CBC, "Approximately 38% of the population has Type O-positive while only 7% has Type O-negative. Both types are in constant demand. Type O-positive can be transfused to patients with any positive blood type. O-negative is the universal blood type and can be transfused immediately to any patient in need. Type O has been a day-to-day concern all through the pandemic."
How to donate blood
