Severe Blood Shortage in Connecticut, Red Cross Needs Your Help

With the height of the COVID-19 pandemic behind us, the Red Cross is running into some issues, there's not enough blood to go around.

So the Connecticut chapter of the American Red Cross has put out a plea for people to consider donating blood to combat the shortage.

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Now that more and more people are seeking medical attention and heading back to their doctors for the elective surgery that they had put off during the pandemic, plus couple that with a rise in demand for transfusions in trauma cases, you've got a local blood supply that is running dangerously low.

According to newstimes.com, hospitals have been handling a much higher number of ER visits and trauma cases recently. If you compare the numbers from 2019, the demand for blood at hospitals who are handling these cases is up some 10 percent this year.

To alleviate this blood shortage, the Red Cross is asking people to make giving blood part of their summer activity, an activity that could save some lives.

If you're interested in helping out and donating blood, there are a few different ways you can get in touch with someone from the Red Cross. You can use their Blood Donor App, go online to RedCrossBlood.org, or you can just call them at 1-800-RED CROSS, you can even use your Alexa Echo device to contact them.

Red Cross officials also released a statement about former COVID-19 patients. If you had the COVID-19 virus, you are still eligible to donate, however their COVID antibodies testing of blood donations will end on June 25.