Not sure how to help others during this crisis? Did you know one pint of blood can save up to 3 lives and often takes less than 30 minutes? SF Bay Area blood banks are still in need of donors.

It’s advisable to make an appointment in advance and trips to donation sites are generally permissible as they are deemed medically necessary. It’s not advised to give blood if you’ve traveled to high-risk countries, are over the age of 65 or at higher risk.

Even with a shelter in place in effect, individuals in our community – potentially even individuals we know personally – will continue to be in car accidents, need emergency organ transplants, give birth to babies in critical condition, and need chemotherapy. In short, there will still be lives that need saving. – Harpreet Sandhu, CEO/Executive Director, Stanford Blood Center

Map

Nothing where you are? Try searching on the Blood Bank Locator here: aabb.org

*You can also see local upcoming blood drives at redcrossblood.org but their search function is pretty poor.

As @MSNBC @NBCNews Medical Contributor, I've asked you to #donateblood. Well, today I put my money where my mouth is!

Key Points:

-1 out of 7 ppl entering a hosp needs blood

-1 pint of blood can save up to 3 lives 😊@AliVelshi @NicolleDWallace @KatyTurNBC @Lawrence @AlexWitt pic.twitter.com/iMAihQdxJ8 — Dr. Lipi #GetUsPPE Roy (@lipiroy) April 1, 2020

Related:

Blood donations urgently needed; donating blood exempt from shelter-in-place restrictions

FAQ ON NOVEL CORONAVIRUS AND BLOOD DONATION

“If you have recovered from COVID-19, you may be able to help patients currently fighting the infection by donating your plasma. As a result of your infection, your plasma now contains COVID-19 antibodies, which is one way your immune system fought the virus when you were sick. Your plasma is now known as convalescent plasma.” Read more at plasma.https://covidplasma.org/