Usually at Osceola, students would be bracing themselves for a needle extracting blood. Well, there aren’t going to be any needles this year at Osceola. At this time, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there will be no blood drives at any high schools in Pinellas County. According to a OneBlood spokesperson, “[OneBlood is] waiting for the school district to stabilize before we start blood drives again.”

     But what does this mean for the people who need this blood to survive? As reported in the Largo Leader, according to OneBlood, blood drives account for 20% of the blood supply. OneBlood said that teenagers and young adults give about one third of the  blood donated each year.  As reported in the Largo Leader, “‘The need for blood is now and it is ongoing.  The COVID-19 pandemic continues to indefinitely disrupt blood collections and the impact from the hurricane is further compounding the situation.  A sustained donor response is needed to ensure a ready blood supply is available at all times”’, said Susan Forbes, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations for OneBlood. The blood industry is lacking eligible donors, and non-profit organizations like OneBlood need donors fast.