New York City is looking for blood. In fact, it’s in dire need of blood, according to hospitals and the blood bank.
The plea for the lifesaving liquid – which usually is announced by the hospitals or blood banks – this time came from Mayor Bill de Blasio during his Sunday news briefing.
“Right now, we have a challenge with our blood supply,” de Blasio announced. “We need to address it. So many New Yorkers are saying in this crisis, ‘What can I do, how can I help?’
“One thing you can definitely do – one thing that will help for sure – is to give blood in this moment of crisis.”
The New York Blood Center supplies every public hospital in the city, in addition to nearly 200 private hospitals throughout the state of New York, as well as some in New Jersey.
As of Sunday, the Center had just “a few days’ supply,” left the mayor said.
The New York Blood Center is available to healthy blood donors at 1-800-933-2566.
The Center is also participating in the Convalescent Plasma Program, and increasing the US supply of convalescent plasma by collecting donations from those who have recovered from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.
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The Center collects, processes the plasma for infusion and maintains a bank for hospitals to treat patients with serious or immediately life-threatening COVID-19 infections, according to information on its website.
“We are asking all eligible donors to come forward so we can treat as many patients as possible,” the Center said in its statement.