Blood Bank of Delmarva announces blood emergency as shortages continue
DELMARVA – The Blood Bank of Delmarva has announced a blood emergency resulting largely from fears of the Omicron variant and the holiday season.
We’re told the region’s blood supply currently sits at a 3-day level, well below the ideal inventory of 7 days. The key blood types of O positive and O negative are at 0.9 and 0.8 days, respectively.
Blood centers across the country are and have been suffering from shortages for the past 19 months of the pandemic. Officials say many factors complicate the situation, including:
- Donor fatigue from constant urgent/critical messages and a decrease in first time donors stepping up to help
- Working from home is the new normal, preventing many organizations from being able to host successful blood drives.
- Hundreds of groups, high schools, and colleges have not resumed blood drives
- Widespread fear of COVID-19 infection and new fears about the Omicron variant are keeping donors away
With the new Omicron variant, officials say donors with upcoming appointments and organizations with planned blood drives are canceling.
To learn more about donating blood or to schedule an appointment, call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or go online.
