Local News in Brief : Countywide : Red Cross Needs Donors to Relieve Blood Shortage
The county has a “serious shortage” in blood donations, a spokeswoman for the county chapter of the American Red Cross said.
The Red Cross needs four blood types--A, B, AB and O--but especially types B and O, spokeswoman Sylvia Stewart said, adding that the organization has just a 3-day supply of type O blood; a 10-day supply is the target.
Type O is now “available on an emergency basis only, and there’s a risk certain elective surgery can be canceled,” she said.
Type O negative can be used by everyone and type O positive by 85% of the population, she said.
“Unless people are donating, blood will not be available for patients that need it,” Stewart said. “People’s lives depend on blood, and the need is very urgent.”
To make an appointment and find out the nearest Red Cross location, call (714) 835-5381, Ext. 450.
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