According to CBS reported on January 11, the U.S. blood supply is seriously insufficient, prompting the American Red Cross to declare a nationwide blood supply crisis in the country for the first time.
According to the report, the American Red Cross said that the United States is experiencing its worst blood supply crisis in more than 10 years due to the decline in blood donors during the new crown epidemic, the cancellation of blood donation activities and the shortage of manpower. Last year, the number of new blood donors from the American Red Cross fell by 34 percent.
The American Red Cross warned in a joint statement with the American Blood Center and the Association for the Promotion of Blood and Biological Therapies: "If the blood supply in the United States does not stabilize quickly, some patients may not receive life-saving blood when needed." The statement also said blood centers across the U.S. reported that the supply of certain blood types was less than a day.
Hospitals need blood for surgery, transplants, cancer treatment and chronic diseases, but the American Red Cross says that during this historic shortage, hospitals sometimes don't have access to all the blood products they ask for. This shortage means doctors have to make tough choices about who should transfuse first and who needs to wait for more blood supplies.
Jennifer Andrews, medical director of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Blood Bank, said the hospital's blood supply was very tight and that the lack of blood supply meant the hospital could not care for patients in the same way. "No one knows if they're going to be the next trauma patient. So it really affects you or your family and the people you love. Andrews said.
(Editor: Yin Zi)