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Two of the three regional blood banks serving Washington state are facing a severe blood shortage due to the lingering effects from heavy rains and floods in December, combined with a slowdown in donations, the Washington State Department of Health said Friday. The shortage is especially bad for Type O blood and platelets, which are in high demand for emergency treatments, surgeries, and other life-saving procedures.
According to a news release, both Bloodworks Northwest and the American Red Cross have started bringing in blood from other parts of the country to meet the demand. However, this is not sustainable. Winter weather and the holidays have also slowed donations nationally, and many blood drives were cancelled.
Bloodworks Northwest has 38,000 open donation appointments through the end of February, nearly 23,000 of which must be filled by Valentine’s Day to stabilize the blood supply. Two donor centers closed early this week due to a lack of donors…