Wichita officials beg for blood donations as stocks decimated by COVID-19 face rising demand

The U.S. blood inventory, which has already been severely depleted during the coronavirus pandemic, is being stretched even thinner as the rate of trauma cases requiring blood transfusions surpasses pre-pandemic levels.

“Hospitals are responding to a high number of traumas in emergency rooms. In comparison to 2019, it’s up 10% in 2021,” said Brittany Rochell, a spokesperson for the American Red Cross of Kansas and Oklahoma.

The Red Cross supplies roughly 40% of the nation’s donated blood. It’s not unusual to see a drop in donations during summer months, but with fewer people venturing outside their homes to give blood over the past year, the shortage has become particularly dire.

As the pall of COVID-19 begins to lift, people who had put off elective surgeries requiring transfusions are also contributing to the high demand for blood.

Rochell said the Red Cross is asking everyone — people who have never given blood and perennial donors alike — to consider signing up for a blood drive.

“Why not now? Now is the time that you can give back, and this is one way that you could potentially save a life in your local community,” she said.

Sedgwick County’s Red, White and YOU Blood Drive runs from Thursday to Saturday at the County Extension Education Center and the Wichita Blood Donation Center.

Donors will receive a Red Cross T-shirt and a ticket to the Sedgwick County Zoo while supplies last.

People are encouraged to schedule their appointments ahead of time at redcrossblood.org. The website provides additional information about donation, and you can download the Red Cross Blood Donor App to walk you step-by-step through your donation day.

Rochell said donors will need to bring their driver’s license to the blood drive, where they will undergo a health screening before beginning their donation. The whole process takes roughly an hour, she said.

“It depends on how long it takes you to donate the unit of blood, but we try to tell people about an hour, because after you donate blood, you go over to our snack area and you’ll have snacks and a drink,” Rochell said.

There are no COVID-19 vaccination requirements or restrictions for blood donors.

“Vaccinated and unvaccinated are encouraged to go donate blood,” Rochell said.

“Unvaccinated, we do ask people to wear the mask, but either way, blood is blood.”

This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Wichita officials beg for blood donations as stocks decimated by COVID-19 face rising demand."