Blood donors needed ASAP

KELLOGG — Calling all universal donors out there — your service is needed!

All you other donors are welcome too…

Vitalant is hosting a blood drive this Tuesday at the Kellogg Elks Lodge and with all of the craziness in the world blood reserves are down and need immediate replenishing.

“Since the COVID spike and through the holidays, donations have gone down,” said Vitalant’s North Idaho Territory Manager Rob Balison. “We currently have an urgent need for O blood types.”

Type O is routinely in short supply and in high demand by hospitals — both because it is the most common blood type and because type O negative blood is the universal blood type needed for emergency transfusions and for immune deficient infants.

Approximately 45% of Caucasians are type O (positive or negative), but 51% of African Americans and 57% of Hispanics are type O.

Minority and diverse populations, therefore, play a critical role in meeting the constant need for blood.

As Balison mentioned, the spike in the global pandemic along with the holiday months predictably slowing things down, Vitalant is hoping that they can get back to steady donations in light of the difficult circumstances.

“In the winter months, we generally deal with a lot of illnesses that keep people from coming out to donate blood but now, it’s even harder now because businesses and schools are less likely to host blood drives during the pandemic,” Balison said. “Either they are working from home, going to school online or wish to keep outside activities to a minimum. We definitely rely on community blood drives throughout the region to maintain a safe and adequate blood supply for the hospitals and patients in need.”

Blood drives are considered essential gatherings for critical patient care and are still needed to help those patients that are in the hospitals.

There is no substitute for human blood and can only be given from selfless donors that wish to help transform lives.

Next week’s blood drive is Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Kellogg Elks Lodge from 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Please visit Vitalant.org for more information or to reserve your donation appointment.