The San Diego Blood Bank issued an urgent call for blood donations from donors with Type O blood.
Supplies of Type O-positive and Type O-negative blood are reaching critically low levels. They’re asking those who have never given blood and those who haven’t given blood recently, and have Type O blood, to schedule an appointment to donate blood immediately.
Type O-positive is the most common blood type, and therefore needed by many hospital patients, while Type O-negative is the universal blood type and can be given to any patient, and is often used in emergency rooms when there is no time to determine the blood type of the patient.
“Coming out of the holiday season, we typically see a decrease in donations of all types at this time due to schools being out of session for the holidays and seasonal illnesses like the flu,” said David Wellis, San Diego Blood Bank CEO. “The need for Type O blood has hit a critically low level and we need the community to help us keep a safe supply for hospital patients.”
To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 114 pounds and be in general good health. Anyone who is eligible to donate blood can make an appointment at their website or by calling 1-800-4MY-SDBB.
