While each day brings new developments and restrictions during a worldwide health crisis, the need to keep up the nation’s blood supply remains constant.
With that, some of the rare events that are not being canceled or postponed, at least for the time-being, are local blood drives conducted by the Northeast Georgia chapter of the American Red Cross.
Three Red Cross blood drives in Gilmer County, as well as one nearby in Talking Rock, scheduled for April and May are still on until further notice.
Cancellations of blood drives across the U.S. have resulted in an ongoing critical need for blood, platelets and plasma, but healthy individuals can still donate in areas that have issued shelter in place declarations, the humanitarian relief organization stated.
Cheryl Mahan, donor account manager for the Northeast Georgia Red Cross, said the availability of blood drives within the seven-county chapter is dependent on the blood drive location and whether or not the Red Cross will be allowed to use the facility if it is closed.
“This has varied widely among our sponsors,” she added.
The next local Red Cross blood drive is scheduled for Friday, April 17, at the Gilmer County Library.
The Sequoyah Regional Library System confirmed that the blood drive will still take place even if the local public library is still closed, which it has been since March 16. The drive will take place from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in the library’s meeting room, Mahan noted.
Another community blood drive, scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Talking Rock will also go ahead as planned even if the church is still closed, Mahan confirmed.
The Ellijay Lions Club, often the site for the largest volume of annual blood donations in the county, is scheduled to hold two blood drives during the next four months -— one on Thursday, May 14, and another Thursday, July 9.
Mahan said she’s been in contact with the blood program leader at the Lions Club and has not heard that those drives are in jeopardy.
“Of course, as things progress, all of this information may change,” she added.
Additional precautions are being taken at blood drives to protect the health of donors and those involved in the collection process, Mahan noted.
Those precautions include using social distancing to allow as much distance as possible between donors, checking donors’ temperature before they enter any Red Cross blood drive or donation center, prework temperature checks for all staff members, requiring blood donors to use hand sanitizer prior to using tablets or laptops, routinely wiping down donor-touched areas and sanitizing beds between each donation.
The Red Cross is also asking that individuals postpone donating blood for 28 days following travel to China, Hong Kong, Macau, Iran, Italy and South Korea or if they’ve had contact with a person who has or is suspected to have COVID-19.
“We are strongly encouraging donors to make appointments for their donation to help us meet the social distancing protocols and we are limiting the number of appointments at each blood drive. In some cases, we are making blood drives appointment only. This varies from drive to drive,” Mahan said.
The Red Cross has issued the following statements regarding blood donation and COVID-19 risk:
The American Red Cross is closely monitoring the evolving situation regarding the outbreak of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While there is no evidence that this Coronavirus or any respiratory illness can be transmitted through a blood transfusion, out of the abundance of caution, we are taking actions to help ensure the safety of our donors, recipients, volunteers, staff and the blood supply. People should not be concerned about giving or receiving blood during this time. More healthy donors are needed to prevent a blood supply shortage.
Details about appointments available for local blood drives and donation eligibility requirements are available online at RedCrossBlood.org.