The pandemic is a war, and our objective is survival.\u00a0\u00a0Many have asked what they can do to help the war effort.\u00a0\u00a0One way is to donate.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m not asking for your money.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m asking for your blood.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A chronic blood shortage has existed throughout the pandemic, but blood becomes even scarcer during surges. There are several reasons for this. People are reluctant to leave home. Work from home and distance learning reduces the yield of blood drives at businesses and universities. The health and safety measures necessitated by the pandemic reduce the rate at which donors who can be processed. All these factors result in less blood available for patients who need it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Red blood cells are important because they carry the oxygen which fuels the body. Concentrations of red blood cells are given to patients who need a boost in their oxygen carrying capacity; sometimes this boost is lifesaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it\u2019s not as simple as taking blood from one person and giving it to another. Among other things, blood must be tested for compatibility. Every individual has a blood type, which corresponds to antigens on their red cells. Think of antigens as little self-destruct buttons on the cell surface. These buttons are imaginatively named A and B. There are four possible configurations of antigens, and these correspond to a person\u2019s blood type. If you have only A antigens on your red cells, you are blood type A. If you have only B antigens only, you are blood type B. If you have both A and B antigens, you are blood type AB. And if you have no antigens, you are blood type O. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The buttons are pressed by antibodies floating in the liquid part of your blood. When the buttons are pressed, the red cells self-destructs (\u201chemolysis\u201d). Don\u2019t worry; your body can\u2019t trigger the buttons on red cells made by your body. But your antibodies can trigger the destruction of red cells received during a transfusion. When transfused red cells self-destruct all at once, you have a reaction, and you could die. That\u2019s why we want to know your blood type before transfusion. We need to make sure that the blood you get is compatible with you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It turns out that if you are blood type A, you have B antibodies, meaning you can\u2019t have any blood cells with B buttons. If you are blood type B, you have A antibodies, meaning you can\u2019t have any blood cells with A buttons. If you are blood type AB, you don\u2019t have any antibodies; you can get anybody\u2019s blood (lucky you!). If you are blood type O, you have both A and B antibodies, so you can only get type O blood. But the cool thing about type O people is that there are no self-destruct buttons on their red cells. That\u2019s why we call blood type O individuals \u201cuniversal donors\u201d\u2014they can give their blood to anyone. In the blood bank world, O is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Type O blood is especially important in emergencies since there may not be time to test blood type before transfusion. At those times, type O blood is given immediately. O blood saves lives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our blood supply depends on the goodness of people. Since donation is the only source of blood, there\u2019s just one reason blood is available for patients who need. It\u2019s because someone took the time to give their blood voluntarily. About 45% of Americans are blood type O. If that\u2019s you, you\u2019re special. If that\u2019s not you, we need your blood too. Having a supply of all blood types preserves type O blood for emergencies and for patients who can have no other type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may take a little extra time to donate during the pandemic, but your donation is needed now more than ever. It costs nothing but your time. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019ve had COVID-19, been vaccinated, or not. Please consider making an appointment at a donation center now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, make an appointment here<\/a>. Otherwise, find a blood center in your area here<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The pandemic is a war, and our objective is survival.\u00a0\u00a0Many have asked what they can do to help the war effort.\u00a0\u00a0One way is to donate.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m not asking for your money.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m asking for your blood.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 A chronic blood shortage has existed throughout the pandemic, but blood becomes even scarcer during surges. There are several reasons for this. People […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[13,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-13","category-blood-donation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":257,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=257","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":0},"title":"We Have No Bananas","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"February 19, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"When Texas freezes over, most everything closes.\u00a0\u00a0That includes blood collection centers, which were closed for 5 days this week.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m writing to encourage you to donate blood.\u00a0\u00a0If you\u2019re a bottom-line person, you can skip this blog, find a donation site, and sign-up to give blood by clicking\u00a0here.\u00a0\u00a0 For those of you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2021"","block_context":{"text":"2021","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":311,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=311","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":1},"title":"Janssen Pause","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"April 24, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"These blogs advocate caution and skepticism, specifically in response to the COVID pandemic, but more generally in response to all \u201cscientific\u201d proclamations.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t \u201cfollow the science\u201d blindly.\u00a0\u00a0Instead use your \u201csmell test\u201d before believing anything labelled as science.\u00a0\u00a0Remember that science does not prove reality.\u00a0\u00a0Instead, science proves what is not\u00a0real.\u00a0\u00a0We know much less\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2021"","block_context":{"text":"2021","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":77,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=77","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":2},"title":"What is a COVID Test?","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"October 29, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"It may surprise you to learn that there is no test for COVID-19, the disease of the pandemic. \u00a0Instead, tests look for SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19, or the body\u2019s response to SARS-CoV-2. \u00a0These different tests are all commonly (but inaccurately) called \u201cCOVID Tests\u201d, probably because it is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":139,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=139","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":3},"title":"Convalescent Plasma","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"November 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"What is convalescent plasma and how can it help someone with COVID-19? Most bacterial infections can be treated effectively by antibiotics, but these drugs are not effective in most viral infections. To be sure, anti-viral therapy can help control diseases caused by certain viruses.\u00a0\u00a0For example,\u00a0antiretroviral drugs\u00a0such as AZT are beneficial\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1089,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=1089","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":4},"title":"Long COVID","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"September 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"COVID-19, the disease of the pandemic, has two pathways.\u00a0\u00a0In one pathway, viral infection directly causes the upper respiratory symptoms like runny nose, cough, fever, sore throat, and, in severe cases, pneumonia and respiratory failure.\u00a0\u00a0The second pathways is associated with some of the more confounding symptoms of COVID-19 like loss of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2021"","block_context":{"text":"2021","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":132,"url":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?p=132","url_meta":{"origin":1062,"position":5},"title":"Antibody Tests","author":"Kevin Homer, MD","date":"November 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"There is no test for\u00a0COVID-19.\u00a0\u00a0Instead, testing focuses on detection of SARS-CoV-2, the virus known to cause COVID-19 or the body\u2019s response to infection.\u00a0\u00a0Today we will discuss antibody tests, the blood tests used to detect past infections. Part of a healthy immune response to infection by any virus is the formation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/betterpathology.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Antibodies.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1062"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1064,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062\/revisions\/1064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betterpathology.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}