In South Carolina and as of March 18th, about 67 Red Cross blood drives have been cancelled due to coronavirus concerns. This means over 1,900 blood donations that could have helped people with urgent medical needs have already gone uncollected. Across the U.S., around 112,000 units of blood have gone uncollected in less than a week.

The American Red Cross of Lowcountry, SC is asking people to help by practicing social distancing and donating blood. These two activities—which are not mutually exclusive—will go a long way in keeping community members healthy by slowing the spread of the virus and by ensuring hospital patients across the country continue to have access to lifesaving blood.

Current recommendations suggest that people only leave their homes for necessities. But the U.S. Surgeon General has recently said, “You can still go out and give blood. We’re worried about potential blood shortages in the future. Social distancing does not have to mean social disengagement.”

Those feeling feeling well and who are eligible to donate should visit the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in West Ashley or Mount Pleasant; or go to RedCrossBlood.org to search for a blood drive by zip code or learn how to host a drive.