January 20, 2022 – According to Los Angeles-based KTLA, officials in California are warning that the state is experiencing its most severe blood shortage in a decade.
“While the need for blood is constant, California, along with the rest of the nation, is experiencing the most severe blood shortage in the last ten years,” California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said.
Last week, the American Red Cross declared first-ever national blood crisis in the U.S. The blood shortage forced doctors “to make difficult decisions” about who receives blood transfusions and who will need to wait, the Red Cross told KTLA. The non-profit, which supplies 40% of the nation’s blood, said it has had to limit blood distributions to hospitals in recent weeks.