WASHINGTON — As protests and violence erupt in cities, the United States faces a new threat: The country is running out of blood. Several months of social distancing and stay-at-home orders have resulted in fewer people donating blood, according to health care workers, with collection drives at offices, schools and churches canceled en masse. For a while, the drop in donations was not critical because supply and demand fell in tandem as most surgeries were canceled and far fewer people were getting injured in car crashes and other accidents. But now, even as hospitals have resumed elective surgeries and many Americans are venturing out of their homes again, the rate of blood donations has yet to bounce back. The result is what Chris Hrouda, president of biomedical services for the American Red Cross, which collects about 40 percent of the country’s blood donations, called a “staggering” drop in supply.

Source: New York Times June 02, 2020 16:52 UTC