The American Red Cross has declared a national blood supply crisis for only the second time in its history, and it has begun restricting how much type O blood each hospital can receive. In a statement issued July 27, the organization said its national supply of type O positive blood, the most frequently transfused blood type in the country, has fallen below a single day's worth.
That single sentence is what separates this development from the shortage the Red Cross announced two weeks earlier. A shortage is a warning. Limiting distributions is a decision, and it means hospitals are no longer receiving everything they request.
