The Red Cross is trying to replenish its storage supply of blood, platelets and plasma after losing more than 7,000 units of blood to canceled blood drives across the nation, said Garrett Reid with the American Red Cross in Georgia.
He said people with Type O blood, also referred to as universal donors, are particularly in demand.
“These are typically the donors that are being reached for those units for when we have trauma or we have a special need for a special patient,” Reid said. “And then also our Black donors for sickle cell. Atlanta is the No. 1 user of sickle-cell products of any city in the country.”
Georgia has seen about a 5% to 7% increase on unit demand because hospitals are filled with influenza patients and emergency room traumas.
Nationwide the blood supply has dropped 35% in the last month. Visit redcrossblood.org for more information on how to help.