One of Michigan’s main blood suppliers says the holidays saw fewer donations than usual and stores are critically low.
According to officials with Versiti Blood Center of Michigan, which supplies blood to roughly 70 hospitals statewide, there is only a half-day’s supply remaining.
Normally the company likes to have between 3-5 days supply.
Kelly Sopczynski is with Versiti. She said the holidays and the flu have led to a low turnout in donations.
“We’re seeing a low turnout of donors coming in through the doors but the hospitals still need the same amount of blood to take care of patients,” she said.
The company is seeking all blood types but is especially interested in O negative and O positive.
Versiti reached similarly low levels in February last year.
Sopczynski said Versiti has eight donation centers across the state and urges residents to visit them if they can.