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Through March 17, nearly 4,000 Red Cross blood drives have been canceled across the nation due to COVID-19, resulting in more than 100,000 fewer blood donations.
Because of this, the Fort Knox Red Cross is hosting blood drives in the Hansen Center, located on Spearhead Division Avenue on post, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 7 and 21.
The Red Cross is committed to blood drive safety. Officials say they know people want to help, but they may be hesitant to visit a blood drive during this time. Medical officials explain blood donation is a safe process, and the Red Cross has put additional precautions in place at blood drives and donation centers to protect all who donate.
The new measures to ensure blood drives and donation centers are even safer for our donors and staff include:
* Checking the temperature of staff and donors before entering a drive to make sure they are healthy
* Providing hand sanitizer for use before the drive, as well as throughout the donation process
* Spacing beds, where possible, to follow social distancing practices between blood donors
* Disinfecting of surfaces and equipment
At each blood drive and donation center, Red Cross employees already follow thorough safety protocols to help prevent the spread of any type of infection, including:
* Wearing gloves and changing gloves with each donor
* Routinely wiping down donor-touched areas
* Using sterile collection sets for every donation
* Preparing the arm for donation with an aseptic scrub
There is no data or evidence to suggest COVID-19 can be transmitted by blood transfusion, and there have been no reported cases of transfusion transmission for any respiratory virus, including this one.
Officials are asking those interested in donating blood to make an appointment for either day by visiting the American Red Cross website here and searching for Fort Knox under Code 40121 in the “Find a Blood Drive” search box.
Those who have any questions or trouble making an appointment on the website are encouraged to call the Fort Knox Red Cross at 502-624-2163 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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