Red Cross: U.S. blood supply is 'dangerously low'

A woman donates blood.
(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

The American Red Cross is calling on healthy donors across the United States to give blood, as the country's supply is "dangerously low."

In a joint statement, the Red Cross, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies, and America's Blood Centers said the U.S. blood supply "remains at one of its lowest levels in recent years," and many blood centers have "reported less than a one day supply of blood of certain critical blood types — a dangerously low level." In the U.S., more than 45,000 units of blood are needed daily.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.