Type O blood shortage hits the Pacific Northwest: 5 things to know

Mackenzie Bean (Twitter) - Wednesday, August 17th, 2016

The Pacific Northwest is facing a shortage of type O blood, according to Seattle-based Bloodworks Northwest.

Here are five things to know about the shortage:

Type O blood is a universal donor type that can immediately be transfused to a trauma patient when there is no time to test the individual's blood type. About 48 percent of the U.S. population has Type O blood.
Bloodworks expects blood donations to decrease by 15 percent due to school breaks and vacations. This year, the blood bank saw an almost 25 percent reduction in donations.
The blood bank's supply fell to less than a one-day supply — an alarmingly low level that sits below what is considered to be emergency levels, Bloodworks said. Its normal operating inventory is a four-day supply of blood.
About 900 donors a day are needed to maintain a sufficient blood supply for the almost 100 hospitals served by Bloodworks in Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Bloodworks issued an urgent call for donors over the next two weeks. Individuals can go to any of the blood bank's 12 donor centers in Washington and Oregon to donate.