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Blood services providers have seen a “slight uptick” in donations amid an ongoing blood donation shortage, but cautioned that the battle is not over.

“We have seen a very slight uptick in our area. That is really, really positive for us,” said Kristen Lane, communications manager at the blood services provider Vitalant. “But the ongoing message as always is that there has to be a steady supply of blood available.”

The shortage of blood has been a pressing problem since the beginning of the pandemic. Lane said that there has not been a significant further decline in blood supplies since January, when blood services providers sounded the alarm nationwide about the need for donors. However, new donations are constantly needed by health care providers.

“The one concern I always have when we have a call to action for blood donors is that not everybody understands the need for an ongoing supply of blood,” she said. “The message they hear is ‘we need blood right now because there’s a shortage, and then we’re OK.’ But we’re never OK, because there always has to be blood at the hospitals.”

Lane was grateful for the donations that Vitalant received in January.

“Clearly, the message was received, and we did have a number of very generous folks coming to our donation opportunities to give the gift of life,” she said.

State response

The shortage prompted Pennsylvania Physician General Dr. Denise Johnson last week to stress the need for more donors.

“The critical shortage of blood across Pennsylvania and the nation is still a major concern as COVID-19 has prevented some donors from giving blood and impacted the scheduling of blood drives,” Dr. Johnson said in a statement.

“Blood is essential for surgeries, traumatic injuries, cancer treatment and chronic illnesses, which is why it is so important for individuals to go to their local blood bank or find a blood drive near them and donate,” she added. “An adequate supply of blood is essential to ensure Pennsylvanians have safe, continuous access to the highest quality of health care. I encourage all Pennsylvanians to consider giving blood.”

Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the United States, the Pennsylvania Department of Health said in a statement. Type O blood is the most commonly requested and used blood type, because it can be transfused to patients with any blood type.

Individuals can donate blood regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status as long as they meet donation eligibility requirements, and there is no waiting period to donate blood after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine or flu vaccine.

According to the FDA guidance, anyone who has recovered from COVID-19 is eligible to donate blood 10 days after complete resolution of symptoms.

Local drives

The following blood drives are available for people to donate in February:

Karns City Area High School at 1446 Kittanning Pike, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 25;

New Life Christian Ministries at 139 Knoch Road, noon to 6 p.m. Feb. 18;

South College at 3000 Westinghouse Drive, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 24;

The Movies at Cranberry - Cranberry Mall at 6945 U.S. Route 322, 1 to 6 p.m. Feb. 28.