KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Blood drives hosted at schools and other businesses are being canceled amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Community Blood Center.
CBC said in a news release Wednesday that it is seeing “a growing number” of cancellations in March. More than 70% of donations in the region, according to CBC come from such drives.
“Every donation at every blood drive is critical,” Dr. Christopher D. Hillyer, president and CEO of New York Blood Center Enterprises, said in the release. “As healthy, eligible donors, we have a responsibility to our neighbors to keep the blood supply safe and robust. A resilient healthcare system is more important than ever and we’re counting on everyone to help maintain that.”
Donating blood, according to CBC, is safe, and its staff are trained to “prevent the risk of spreading infectious agents.”
People who have a cold, sore throat or other flu-like symptoms are not eligible to donate.
