American Red Cross Short Blood Supply (5-28-20)

American Red Cross Short Blood Supply (5-28-20)

Blood donations hospitals still don't have the blood supply they need to take on a regular amount of elective surgeries.

Kq2's danielle soxy has the story.

<<<hospitals usually have a 5 day blood supply...but when the pandemic first hit, it was at an all time low..."we were under a two day supply when this pandemic first hit..."that is emergency status for needing blood...with elective surgeries taking place again, the need for blood is urgent "the reality is that cancer patients have still been fighting cancer.

The more we get back on the highway car accidents are going to happen unofrtunatly.

Doctors have been researching ways to provide alternatives for blood transfusions in case of a shortage...."in medicine we've made excellent advancements in fluid recesitation with normal saline and lactated ringers" but it's just not the same as using blood..."but none of those fluids offer the life saving capacity that blood does."

We are also entering into tornado and hurricane season as well.."we're getting into hurricane season as well...a couple of months ago" the american red cross is predicting another shortage of blood in a couple of weeks..

"we have to try and fill that inventory, and we're already 18 to 20% behind"reporting in st.

Joseph, danielle soxy, kq2 news>>> 16-thousand blood drives have been cancelled regionally... resulting in nearly 40,000 fewer blood donations the goal is to have around 600 donations a day, and the region is receiving only 75 percent of that..

It