~Give Blood~

Severe Blood Shortage, Donors Urgently Needed
Right now, eligible and healthy donors are strongly urged to make an appointment to provide lifesaving blood products to patients. Please give now.

About blood:

• • • Blood makes up around 7% of the weight of a human body.
    • Blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.
    • These blood cells float in a yellow liquid called blood plasma. Blood plasma is made up of 90% water and also contains various nutrients, electrolytes, gases, proteins, glucose, and hormones.
    • Blood plasma can be separated from the cells by spinning the blood in a centrifuge until the cells collect at the bottom of the tube.
    • Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. They contain a protein called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin contains iron which combines with oxygen to give hemoglobin and our blood, a red color.
    • Red blood cells develop in the bone marrow and circulate in the body for around 120 days.
    • White blood cells are an important part of the body’s immune system. They defend against certain bacteria, viruses, cancer cells, infectious diseases, and other unwanted materials.
    • Platelets help blood clot in order to limit bleeding when your skin is cut. Blood clots can occasionally have negative effects if they form in blood vessels going to the brain they can cause a stroke while clotting in a blood vessel going to the heart can lead to a heart attack.
    • As well as delivering important substances to our cells, blood also helps take away unwanted waste products.
    • Grouping human blood types can be a difficult process and there are currently around 30 recognized blood types (or blood groups). You might be familiar with the more simplified “ABO” system which categorizes blood types under O, A, B and AB.
    • The most common blood type in the United States is O Positive (39% of the population), while the least common blood type is AB negative with only (0.5% of the population). The most common blood type in Japan is A positive.

Needs:

• • • • Patients in the United States use approximately 32,000 pints of blood every day.
      • Nearly 7,000 units of platelets and 10,000 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S.
      • Nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S.
      • The average red blood cell transfusion is approximately 3 units.
      • The blood type most often requested by hospitals is type O.
      • Sickle cell disease affects 90,000 to 100,000 people in the U.S. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year. Sickle cell patients can require blood transfusions throughout their lives.
      • According to the American Cancer Society, more than 1.8 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in 2020. Many of them will need blood, sometimes daily, during their chemotherapy treatment.
      • A single-car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood.

Supply:

• Each year, an estimated 6.8 million people in the U.S. donate blood.
• 13.6 million whole blood and red blood cells are collected in the U.S. in a year.
• About 45% of people in the U.S. have Group O (positive or negative) blood; the proportion is higher among Hispanics (57%) and African Americans (51%).
• Type O negative red cells can be given to patients of all blood types. Because only 7% of people in the U.S. are type O negative, it’s always in great demand and often in short supply.
• Type AB positive plasma can be transfused to patients of all blood types. Since only 3% of people in the U.S. have AB positive blood, this plasma is usually in short supply.
• Red blood cells must be used within 42 days (or less).
• Platelets must be used within just 5 days.

Experience:
Actually, dievca’s blood is B- not coffee as she expected. Not the most useful blood type, but maybe it will help.
The Port Authority Blood Donation Center is in operation. People are scheduled on a sliding system. The donors were all-male when she arrived and finished all-female when she left. 80% Millenial 20% Generation X. The experience offered a nice chat over snacks and juice, 6 feet apart.

Again, please consider donating if you can.