Blood and organ donations shrink amid coronavirus fears
Anxiety over transmission is curbing donations to dangerous levels, but research shows the risk is negligible.
The U.S. Surgeon General yesterday pleaded with Americans to keep donating blood, as the nation’s supplies are already running low amid fears stoked by the coronavirus pandemic.
“You'll be helping your country and your community during this crisis. And you might even save a life,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams said in a press conference on Thursday.
Medical experts say that blood drives and donations have already dropped off significantly. In the last few days, more than 4,000 scheduled blood drives have been cancelled, in part due to closings at the schools and workplaces where these drives are usually held.
That equates to 130,00 fewer blood donations, says Kate Fry, CEO of America’s Blood Centers, a nonprofit whose member organizations collect a majority
