SAN ANTONIO — The coronavirus pandemic cause an already low blood supply level, to shrink even lower.
“Right now we’re at a one day supply of blood overall. With the type O inventory, it’s under a one day supply,” Adrienne Mendoza with the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center said.
Levels have gotten so low that some people are taking to Facebook looking for donors because they say there isn’t enough blood for them.
“Unfortunately, it is at that point right now especially over this holiday weekend where we didn’t see the number of appointments being booked we needed. We’re having to work with each hospital to find out who are the most critical patients that need blood the most in order to live,” Mendoza said.
When Julie Barton gave birth during the pandemic, she says it was blood transfusions that saved her life afterwards.
“Going through needing blood and being hospitalized because of it was an unsure feeling because again you don’t know when I’ll get supply,” Barton said.
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center says if blood supply numbers don’t improve its patients like Barton who will suffer.
“Having a new born and then going through this I was so overwhelmed and we were so scared,” Barton said.
It isn’t the first time in history blood supply has been this low, but Mendoza says this time around it’s different.
“This seems to be a sustained issue. Something we’re not able to effectively climb out of like we did before,” Mendoza said.
You can help make that change. The blood and tissue center held blood drives all weekend and will continue too throughout the week.
Here’s a list of some upcoming drives.
Monday, May 10, 2021
10:00 am - 03:00 pm
1801 Martin Luther King DR
San Antonio, TX 78203
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
09:00 am - 02:00 pm
123 Losoya Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
08:00 am - 02:00 pm
3000 N. Foster Road
San Antonio, TX 78244
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
09:00 am - 04:00 pm
9340 Westover Hills Blvd.
San Antonio, TX 78251