The American Red Cross has said the U.S. blood supply shortage has reached crisis level, only the second time in its 150-year history that supplies have fallen this low. The warning comes as the organization says it is having to dip very low into its blood inventory while hospitals face pressure to keep emergency shelves filled.
That matters now because summer is normally when demand rises and donations can become harder to collect. The Red Cross, which supplies about 40% of the blood used in the US, said it is distributing about 3,500 more units than normal for this time of year, while supply levels dropped by a quarter just last month.
Dr Courtney Lawrence said wildfires and extreme heat helped push the system into the current state, adding another strain at the same time blood need was climbing. Supplies of every blood type are needed, the Red Cross said, but O positive is especially urgent.
Blood collected in the US cannot simply be stored away for a long stretch. It has to be used within 42 days because blood cells degrade over time, which makes a sudden drop in donations much harder to absorb. That is one reason a shortage can turn serious quickly, especially when hospitals are already drawing on inventories for emergencies.
The pressure has started to reach hospital planning. Hospitals spoken to by the Red Cross believe routine operations could be affected, and some have considered diverting patients to other trauma centres if they cannot keep enough blood on hand. The group also said high temperatures have made people more selective about going outside, while some facilities that planned blood drives could not maintain a safe and comfortable environment for them.
That leaves the Red Cross trying to bridge a gap that is not easing on its own. The organization said wildfires diverted some resources and widespread food-borne illness has added another layer of disruption, even as blood demand remains elevated. The first crisis declaration came in January 2022, during the Covid pandemic and a period of severe winter weather; this one is different, but just as stark.
For now, the question is not whether the shortage is real. It is whether donations can recover fast enough to keep hospitals from having to make harder choices about where patients go next.
