Vitalant asks for donations during holidays

Donating blood is actually considered an essential activities during the pandemic, and Vitalant is asking people to consider donating blood, especially during the holiday season.

Brooke Way, the communications manager for Vitalant, said blood donations typically drop during the holiday season because people are focused on their festive plans.

However, this year, blood is in high demand because the pandemic has canceled 21 Vitalant blood drives in Rapid City, but the donations are still needed.

In particular, convalescent plasma is needed because people who have recovered from COVID-19 have antibodies in their blood that can greatly benefit people battling the virus.

“So, convalescent plasma is new right now and this all came out of COVID-19. And what that means is if you’ve had a prior COVID-19 diagnosis and you’ve recovered, you have antibodies in your blood that will help people who are currently fighting the virus. So, convalescent plasma gives people that extra added boost of antibodies to help fight a current infection.”