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Blood's short shelf life, COVID among factors in depleting donation numbers

The use of blood donation never stops, including around the holidays. Here's how you can help.

DAVENPORT, Iowa — "The use of blood never stops" is ImpactLife's mantra as the holidays creep into our lives this week.

The not-for-profit organization knows this better than any in the Quad Cities metro. It currently serves 124 hospitals and a number of emergency management services in its region, according to Amanda Hess, the vice president of donor relations.

All year-round blood centers seem to be asking for volunteers to take the time to donate, but the holiday season in particular is when these facilities see dramatic drops in donations. 

"People travel, they have other events going on with their families, but it's really pronounced during periods like this where we have high illness that we are still working through," Hess said. "Our cancellation rates have spiked in terms of donors being able to come in." 

On top of that, blood has a very short shelf life. 

Red blood cells must be used within 42 days while other platelet products must be used within five and seven days. 

"Someone who donates red blood cells can only give as often as every 56 days. And our platelet donors, they can only give 24 times a year, which is really every three weeks every two to three weeks max that they can give," Hess explained. 

Watch the full press conference from Monday below:

Overall, ImpactLife loses between 20-25% of its donations during holiday periods due to that short shelf life. That impacts those who need blood in time of an emergency, like a car accident, or during childbirth. 

Another issue that has impacted donations is the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the start of the pandemic, ImpactLife has seen a "dramatic decline" in the rate of first-time donors. 

"In fact, if you look at the number of first-time donors that come in the door every week, we're seeing about 100 fewer first-time donors every week right now in 2022, when you compare that to 2019, the year before the pandemic," Hess said. 

That's why ImpactLife is reaching out to the community. 

"It's something one human being has to do for another, there's not really any other way to do it. So it's all about people," Hess said. 

As of Monday, ImpactLife is in critical need of O-, B- and AB- blood types. Those who want to donate to ImpactLife can schedule an appointment by clicking/tapping here. Other details can be found here

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