NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (WTNH) – The American Red Cross says blood donations across the country have fallen to a four-year summer low — prompting the organization to declare its second-ever “national blood supply crisis.”
In a news release issued Monday, the Red Cross said it had less than a one-day supply of type O positive blood, which is “the most commonly transfused blood type.” Donors of all blood types, however, are being called to donate.
LOCAL: Rhode Island blood supply drops to critical levels
“Some doctors are going to have to make some critical decisions, right? They’re going to have to decide where the blood is going to go,” Joanne Krekian, with the Red Cross, said. “When it’s your loved one who needs a blood transfusion, it’s not something you want to be waiting for.”
Emergency and medical services across the country are feeling the shortage. The Connecticut Blood Center declared a blood emergency in early July, with local healthcare facilities straining under low supplies…