{"id":24250,"date":"2026-08-01T14:35:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T09:35:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24250"},"modified":"2026-08-01T14:35:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T09:35:47","slug":"the-u-s-is-running-low-on-blood-heres-why-thats-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=24250","title":{"rendered":"The U.S. is running low on blood. Here&#039;s why that&#039;s dangerous"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/oLyqCpsn-gRCQj4cnkCCHhfBhMc=\/0x502:4617x3099\/1366x768\/2026\/07\/28\/1785251042761.jpeg\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/01\/10\/red-cross-blood-shortage\" target=\"_blank\">blood<\/a> supply has reached crisis levels, prompting the American Red Cross and the Surgeon General&#8217;s Office to urge people to donate. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong> A prolonged blood shortage could delay surgeries, trauma care and other treatments that depend on timely blood transfusions.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<ul>\n<li>The Red Cross says it has &#8220;less than a one-day national supply of type O positive blood,&#8221; which is the most commonly transfused blood type. Due to the shortage, the organization is limiting distribution of type O blood to hospitals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Driving the news: <\/strong>Blood donations fell to a four-year summer low in 2026, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcross.org\/about-us\/news-and-events\/press-release\/2026\/red-cross-declares-national-blood-supply-crisis-urges-immediate-.html?srsltid=AfmBOoom1ySa5Qx_Bfqw4FrO6-qJO6wawrh0y348OD6C61gCy_I0SDnO\" target=\"_blank\">Red Cross<\/a> said on Monday.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Current supply is not keeping up with the demand for blood, which increases during the summer, the Red Cross says.<\/li>\n<li>The Red Cross attributes the low turnout of donations to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/06\/us-heat-wave-death-toll-july-2026\" target=\"_blank\">extreme heat<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/16\/air-quality-wildfire-smoke-side-effects-risk-safety\" target=\"_blank\">bad air quality<\/a> and &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/07\/cyclosporiasis-stomach-bug-cases-symptoms-outbreak\" target=\"_blank\">widespread<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/20\/cyclospora-outbreak-diarrhea-infection-wash-food\" target=\"_blank\">foodborne<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/07\/07\/cyclosporiasis-stomach-bug-cases-symptoms-outbreak\" target=\"_blank\">illnesses<\/a>&#8221; hitting the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>What they&#8217;re saying: <\/strong>&#8220;Every donation has the potential to help save lives, and we urgently need everyone who is eligible to make an appointment to give blood as soon as possible,&#8221; Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in a press release.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Flashback: <\/strong>This is only the second national blood supply crisis, according to the Red Cross.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The last time was in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2022\/01\/11\/blood-supply-health-red-cross\" target=\"_blank\">January 2022<\/a> when COVID, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/01\/21\/american-red-cross-blood-shortage-2026-winter-storm-flu\" target=\"_blank\">winter storms<\/a> and staffing challenges disrupted the nation&#8217;s blood supply.<\/li>\n<li>In 2024, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/01\/10\/red-cross-blood-shortage\" target=\"_blank\">Red Cross<\/a> said it faced an &#8220;emergency blood shortage,&#8221; though stopped short of declaring it a &#8220;crisis.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to donate blood<\/h2>\n<p><strong>How it works: <\/strong>You can visit a nearby blood collection location to make an appointment. You can also contact the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/W2l7bPpXlS\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a>) \u2014 301.907.6977 <\/li>\n<li>America&#8217;s Blood Centers (<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7n9xp2vHbv\" target=\"_blank\">website<\/a>) \u2014 202.393.5725 <\/li>\n<li>American Red Cross says eligible donors can book an appointment on their website. (RedCrossBlood.org) or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1.800.733.2767).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Zoom in: <\/strong>Find a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcross.org\/give-blood.html?srsltid=AfmBOoonG-NGkF2Sr4N_cjYDWVMb1gxHSFEeTBsqUxsnhOUjK1wPn1NY\" target=\"_blank\">Red Cross<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.versiti.org\/ways-to-give\/where-to-donate\" target=\"_blank\">Versiti<\/a> blood drive near you.<\/p>\n<h2>Perks and rewards for blood donation<\/h2>\n<p><strong>The American Red Cross <\/strong>is offering incentives for donating.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anyone who donates by July 31 receives a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcrossblood.org\/local-homepage\/events\/fandango-movie-ticket.html\" target=\"_blank\">Fandango movie ticket<\/a>, which will be worth up to $15.<\/li>\n<li>The Red Cross is also offering a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcrossblood.org\/local-homepage\/events\/august.html\" target=\"_blank\">$20 Amazon gift card<\/a> to anyone who donates in August.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Go deeper: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/columbus\/2026\/01\/23\/blood-donation-guide-ohio-where-red-cross\" target=\"_blank\">A pro donor&#8217;s guide to giving blood<\/a><\/p>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. blood supply has reached crisis levels, prompting the American Red Cross and the Surgeon General&#8217;s Office to urge people to donate. Why it matters: A prolonged blood shortage could delay surgeries, trauma care and other treatments that depend on timely blood transfusions. The Red Cross says it has &#8220;less than a one-day national&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.axios.com\/oLyqCpsn-gRCQj4cnkCCHhfBhMc=\/0x502:4617x3099\/1366x768\/2026\/07\/28\/1785251042761.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-political-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24250"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24250\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}