Every year, 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion, but less than 10 percent of Americans donate blood annually. The demand for blood donations is extremely high, and blood banks are taking huge hits post-COVID.

Every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood or platelets. These resources cannot be manufactured in a factory or a lab, which is why volunteer blood donors are needed.

Donating blood is relatively easy and only takes about an hour. Organizations bring their equipment to local places like churches and schools, coming to you for your convenience. So why is there a huge shortage?

“Unfortunately, the number of people donating blood has dropped drastically over the years. Right now, area blood donors are giving only about one third of the amount hospitals need,” Kristen Lane, Communications Manager at Vitalant said. “We never want to get to the point where a shortage of blood donors forces hospitals to postpone treatments and surgeries, but that is a very real possibility if the number of people donating blood continues to decline.”

Many people also wait until a huge tragedy occurs to donate, even though blood is needed daily.

“Many people believe that most blood is needed after major disasters. However, daily personal emergencies and ongoing medical needs of thousands of patients require a constant and ready blood supply. It’s the blood already on hospital shelves that saves lives,” according to Vitalant’s website.

“When there’s a mass shooting, it’s unknown in the moment how much blood’s going to be needed because it depends on the victims, where their injuries are, and how much blood is needed. During the synagogue shooting, we saw people come in for three or four days. Our donor rooms were packed, our mobile blood drives were extremely busy,” Jennifer Davis, Senior Director of Donor Recruitment at Vitalant, said. “The synagogue shooting shined a light on the need for blood donation, but (there are) blood needs that don’t make it on the news. That could be someone who was in a car accident, someone who needed surgery all of a sudden, it could be a mom who’s giving birth that is having a hemorrhage. You’re not going to hear about those, but at that moment, that family, they are in need of a blood donation.”

Blood is always needed in the hospital which is why blood centers need blood donors every day.

“Hospital patients who need blood to survive must rely on the generosity of volunteer blood donors. When you donate blood you can help trauma victims, newborn babies, people with sickle cell disease, cancer patients, and people with serious burns or major blood loss,” Lane said.

Shaler Area High School is hosting a blood drive with Vitalant this Friday, March 17. If you are 16 years old, you can get a paper from your gym teacher or the activities office to sign up to donate. If you can’t donate Friday at school, there are blood centers around the area where you can make an appointment to donate.