Sentinel staff report–
An April 1 blood drive in Citrus Heights will be held on Van Maren Lane, with organizers saying donations “matter now more than ever” due to many blood drives being cancelled during the coronavirus pandemic.
The blood drive is operated by Vitalant and will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 7009 Van Maren Lane in Citrus Heights. As of March 25, 15-minute appointment times for the upcoming blood drive were mostly still unfilled between 2:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
“All blood and platelet donations are tested for COVID-19 antibodies,” Vitalant says on its website. “We’ll let you know your results, and how you can help patients fighting the virus.”
The testing will let donors know if they may have had the coronavirus but were asymptomatic, and Vitalant also says blood donations with COVID-19 antibodies can be used to help COVID patients.
According to Vitalant’s website, all blood drives follow CDC guidelines and donors will be required to have their temperature checked, maintain six-foot social distancing, and wear masks. The organization also says “continuous sanitation” practices are in place, with one-time use collection sets being used and wipe-downs of all high-touch areas required after each collection.
Appointments to donate blood can be scheduled online at donors.vitalant.org.
