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The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood and platelet donations. There is no known end date in this fight against coronavirus, and the Red Cross urgently needs the help of blood and platelet donors and blood drive hosts to meet the needs of patient care. Please schedule your next donation appointment now to help prevent another blood shortage.

For a limited time, the Red Cross will test ALL blood, platelet, and plasma donations for COVID-19 antibodies as an additional health service to our donors. The Red Cross hopes testing will provide critical insight into whether donors may have possibly been exposed to this coronavirus, as some COVID-19 carriers can be asymptomatic.

Donating blood products is essential to community health and the need for blood products is constant. As part of our nation’s critical infrastructure, healthy individuals can still donate in areas that have issued shelter in place declarations or are operating under a phased reopening plan. The Red Cross follows the highest standards of safety and infection control, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those in need. As hospitals resume surgical procedures and patient treatments that were temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, donors are urged to give now to ensure blood products are readily available for patients. Click here to find a donation event site near you.