Sen. Kaine Donates Blood In Fairfax To Address Regional Shortage

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) spent Friday morning donating blood at an American Red Cross donation center in Fairfax County, doing his part to address a nationwide blood shortage and to let Virginians know it is safe to donate blood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health care providers across Virginia and the nation are facing the worst blood shortage in more than a decade. In the last year, the Red Cross and the Virginia Department of Health have reported about a 40-percent drop in new blood donors in Virginia.

Along with fewer people donating blood over worries about the coronavirus, blood drives are getting canceled, and donation centers are facing staffing shortages.

"Fewer people are giving blood. They're maybe a little bit worried about COVID," Kaine told reporters after donating blood.

Workplaces, along with schools and colleges, also have not been holding as many blood drives as they did prior to the start of the pandemic in March 2020, he said.

Kaine said he started donating blood when he was in his 20s. Noting the safety and simplicity of giving blood at Red Cross centers, he appealed to both long-time and first-time donors to participate in local blood drives.

The safety of the public and staff is the number-one priority at Red Cross blood donation centers, according to Ashley Henyan, communications director for the American Red Cross in the Washington, D.C., area.

"We make sure that anyone who is coming in to give blood is feeling healthy and is symptom-free," Henyan told Patch.

Red Cross employees wipe down surfaces after each person finishes giving blood. Masks also are required inside donation centers.

"It's safe to come donate," said Henyan, who urged people to think about the need for blood among cancer patients and accident or trauma victims who may need transfusions.

Art Shaw of Sterling, who was donating platelets at the same American Red Cross center in Fairfax County as the senator Friday morning, said he never stopped donating blood during the pandemic. He donates platelets every two weeks. Unlike other types of blood donations, the body replaces platelets in about three days, which allows more frequent donations.

Platelets are a vital element of cancer treatments and organ transplant procedures, as well as other surgical procedures. Platelet donations do take longer, usually lasting about two-and-half to three hours per donation session.

Shaw noted how he likes how the Red Cross blood donor app lets him know which hospitals used his blood five days after his platelet donations. His previous donation went to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, he told Patch.

About three weeks after the pandemic hit Virginia in March 2020, he started donating blood again at Red Cross centers. "I've never had a problem, never felt any danger," he said. "They're keeping things clean. You have to be vaccinated. It's a very safe system."

Shaw said his platelet donations are worth the time commitment because he knows he is saving at least three lives, including leukemia patients, each time he gives. "It's just a nice feeling," he said.

Blood donors can find out where their blood goes by downloading the Red Cross blood donor app. They can also use the app to keep track of how many pints of blood they have given and schedule their next appointment.

Visit the American Red Cross website to learn about the types of blood donations and where you can donate.

This article originally appeared on the Falls Church Patch