American Red Cross warns of 'severe' blood shortage: media

The American Red Cross is warning of a "severe" blood shortage nationally of "unprecedented levels" amid a tough battle against COVID-19, The Washington Post reported Thursday (June 24).

"We did not anticipate that it would be at this level," Pampee Young, the Red Cross's chief medical officer of biomedical services, was quoted as saying, as more people undergo elective surgeries, organ transplants, and require emergency care when they return to their pre-pandemic activities.

According to the report, this year alone, the Red Cross said it has experienced a 10-percent increase in red blood cell demand from hospital trauma centers compared with 2019. It has also distributed about 75,000 more blood products than expected over the past three months.

"The rise in need and a slowdown in traditional collection methods -- such as donation drives at schools and offices, halted in large due to pandemic precautions -- means supplies have dwindled to precariously low levels," it reported.

(Source: Xinhua News Agency)