African-American blood donors are particularly needed to help patients battling sickle cell disease amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sickle cell patients are at high risk of serious complications from coronavirus infection.

Sickle cell disease tends to affect African-American communities, which are disproportionately suffering from COVID-19 and already lack equal access to preventative health care and treatment,” Hunter said.

Patients with sickle cell disease depend on transfusions from donors with closely matched blood – beyond the A, B, O and AB types – to reduce the risk of complications.

“This is a matter of life or death for patients with sickle cell disease and those who rely on transfusions to make it through surgery,” Hunter said.