The American Red Cross is putting out an emergency call for blood and platelet donors, as the recent surge in COVID-19 has apparently played a part in limiting the donations received in recent weeks. Agency organizers are asking you to find a blood drive near you and roll up your sleeve. Joe Zydlo (ZID-low), the spokesman for the American Red Cross, says traditionally school blood drives are a big percentage of their collection efforts, but that hasn’t been the case recently.

The Red Cross must collect approximately 14,000 blood and platelet donations every day for the patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. You can find a list of blood drives or donor sites at www.redcrossblood.org.