Blood shortages critical but Rochester donors are lending a hand, and an arm

ROCHESTER - With blood donations sharply down across New Hampshire during the COVID pandemic, Red Cross officials are hoping today's blood drive at Frisbie Memorial Hospital will be the start of a rejuvenation of the region's blood supply that are vitally needed for hospitals trying to save lives.

"This has really been an unprecedented experience with this coronavirus pandemic," said Mary Brant, communications manager for the Red Cross' Northern New England division on Monday.

She said that since blood supplies began dwindling around the initial COVID-19 shutdown about a month ago, some 14,000 blood drives have been canceled, translating to 400,000 lost donations.

She further stressed that blood donors need not fear with becoming infected with the coronavirus when giving blood.

"Absolutely not," she said. "There is no evidence that coronavirus or any respiratory illness can be transmitted by transfusion," she said.

Brent said that the Red Cross observes all safety precautions as prescribed by the CDC, and routinely disinfects all equipment and "donor" touch surfaces.

"We also check temperatures of donor and staff before any donating begins," she said, adding hand sanitizers are used throughout the donation process and social distancing is applied at entry and refreshment areas.

To get an idea of how much blood is needed, Brent said they're looking to get 13,000 donations a day to get back up to speed.

"During this time we need new blood donors for the weeks ahead to make sure we have a stable supply throughout the pandemic," Brent noted.

Among the blood products needed are red blood cells, which are good for about 42 days; platelets which have only a five-day shelf life and plasma, which can be frozen and used up for a year.

Rochester residents have heard the call for today's blood drive. Every slot has been filled for today and the next two Saturdays at the Knights of Columbus.

To find another local place to donate go to http://redcrossblood.org

Meanwhile, for the second straight day, the confirmed number of new cases has dropped, this time from 48 on Sunday to 46 on Monday.

The two drops followed the state's single worst day on Saturday when 81 new cases surfaced.

That puts New Hampshire's total of confirmed coronavirus cases at 715.

More significantly, Monday's new cases included four young people under the age of 18: one male and three females.

The other cases are all adults with 54 percent being female and 37 percent being male. The new cases reside in Rockingham (15), Hillsborough County other than Manchester and Nashua (4), Merrimack (6), Strafford (2), Cheshire (2), and Belknap (1) counties, and in the cities of Manchester (11) and Nashua (4).

Nine new COVID-19-related hospitalizations were reported; thus far, 103 (14%) of the 715 positive cases have been hospitalized.

Locally, the numbers remain unchanged, with 10-19 in Dover, 1-4 in Rochester, Milton and Somersworth and 5-9 in Barrington.

NH Persons with COVID-19 715

Recovered 151 (21%)

Deaths Attributed to COVID-19 9 (1%)

Total Current COVID-19 Cases 555

Persons Who Have Been Hospitalized for COVID-19 103 (14%)

Persons Being Monitored in NH (approximate point in time) 2,250

In Maine, the total number of cases currently stands at 499 with 108 cases in York County. The state's death toll stands at 10.

Also Market Basket officials have modified their "seniors only" hours to 6-7 a.m. every day. As usual, they will be closed on Easter.