The social paranoia of 2020 spilled over into a dangerous lack of blood for patients in need. With many restricting their outings to work, maybe the grocery store and not much else for the bulk of 2020, a nation-wide blood shortage had cropped up.
“We are in what we call ‘urgent need,’ really of all blood types but especially O-negative and O-positive donors,” said Ashley Whitaker, director of community resources at Shepeard Community Blood Center. “Those are the types we see the hospitals order the most of, and we aren’t getting enough donors through the door to fill those orders.”
Shepeard held blood drives Monday at Schofield Middle School in Aiken, S.C. and Savannah River Brewing in Augusta. The drives are still going, but the turnout has been depressed.
“There’s been nothing normal about 2020, so really our enduring shortage has come from COVID-19,” Whitaker said. “A lot of people are still not coming in to donate because they want to be safe, and we understand. That’s been the biggest issues with getting donors back.”
It’s also been a challenge getting repeat donors to show up. Many receive e-mails from blood centers when it’s time to donate again (you can donate six times in a year with proper timing), but fewer of those are visiting on a regular basis.
“Even if people committed to donating three times a year, we would see a serious uptick in donations, and I don’t think we would see the shortages we see today,” Whitaker said.
The center is also accepting COVID-19 convalescent plasma from those who have recovered from the virus, and that is vital in treating those currently affected. Those who wish to donate plasma can visit the center any time.
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There’s a blood drive March 11 in Aiken, S.C., called Donate For Life. It’s historically the largest drive Shepeard holds, even if it’s a little smaller this year. It’s an opportunity for the community to help alleviate a serious issue affecting both the nation and the CSRA.
For more information on how to get involved, contact Shepeard Community Blood Center at 706-737-4551 or at their website.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com
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