JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Saturday is Blood Donation Day in Florida and Georgia. It’s no secret that giving blood can be lifesaving. Karren Patterson from Lifesouth Community Blood Centers is raising awareness about a nationwide shortage.
“Right now, across the country, we are experiencing a national blood shortage, this is happening for several different reasons,” said Karren Patterson.
Some of those reasons include limited in-school blood drives, hurricane season, and the biggest cause, the coronavirus pandemic.
“A lot of businesses are still doing virtual workplaces, and some businesses might not come back to their brick-and-mortar places after the whole COVID situation has resided a little bit, so there’s still a lot we don’t know right now, but the need for blood is constant, it doesn’t take a vacation, and it’s needed, every single day to save lives here in our community,” said Karren Patterson.
On top of these challenges, the American Red Cross reports rising trauma cases, transplants, and surgeries which led hospitals to ask for more blood than expected in 2021.
If you are interested in donating blood visit lifesouth.org for more information. Whether you’ve recently been vaccinated or infected with covid-19 you can still donate if you are healthy.