Over 2,700 Red Cross blood drives nationwide have been canceled because of the coronavirus.
“We schedule a lot of blood drives at high schools and colleges and that represents about 20% of our donor base,” said Lansing-based Red Cross spokesman Todd Kulman. He says having Michigan’s K-12 schools closed for three weeks and most universities switching to online classes is having a big negative impact. The Red Cross says donating blood remains safe, as all surfaces are sterilized between donors.
Kulman says the Red Cross is down by at least 87,000 donations over the past week nationally and that could have an affect the ability of local hospitals to respond in an emergency. Anyone who is healthy and would like to donate can do so by scheduling a blood donation online, by phone or through the Red Cross app.
