Washington has ‘urgent need’ for blood donations because of winter storm, officials say

The coronavirus pandemic put blood donations in short supply —and now a winter storm has made the situation even worse.

The snowstorm that hit Western Washington and Portland caused hundreds of blood donors to miss their appointments, according to Bloodworks Northwest. The state now has an “urgent need” for donors.

“The snowstorm hit us at a time when our community blood supply is already experiencing a surge in hospital usage,” Bloodworks President and CEO Curt Bailey said in a news release. “In the past three days we’ve collected only 52% of the blood components needed to support patients.”

More than 800 people scheduled for blood and platelet donations did not show up for their appointments over a three-day span. Usually about 1,000 people each day need to donate blood to meet the demand within the state, Bloodworks said.

There are several pop-up blood drives and donor centers in Western Washington and Oregon, including in Olympia and Bellingham.

“People with Type O and B negative blood and platelet donors are urgently needed this week, and all blood types are needed in February to help recover from the donations we were unable to collect due to the snow,” Executive Vice President of Blood Services Vicki Finson said in the news release. “If you’re new to donating blood or you haven’t donated in a while, now is the time to schedule your appointment and keep the shelves stocked for local patients.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 7:13 AM with the headline "Washington has ‘urgent need’ for blood donations because of winter storm, officials say."