VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The coronavirus has interrupted daily activities and routines, but disasters and emergencies still happen.
"We're still doing the great work, we're still doing the necessary work-- but just in a very different way," said Michelle Ellis Young, Executive Director of the American Red Cross of Coastal Virginia.
The group is urging people to donate blood, platelets and plasma as many drives have been canceled due to the crisis. "What we do need people to do is to maintain the scheduled appointments that they've made and to make those future appointments in order to ensure that we have a stable supply here in the coastal territory," said Ellis Young.
The nonprofit is also calling on people who have fully recovered from COVID-19 to donate 'convalescent plasma' to help those seriously battling the virus.
Earlier this week, the Red Cross nationally launched a Virtual Family Assistance Center to help anyone who has lost a loved one during the pandemic.
"In this season, people are grieving in a whole different way," said Ellis Young. "The Red Cross is there to provide and walk you through what that process looks like during and after."
In addition to donors, the Red Cross also needs financial help and more volunteers to continue performing its vital mission.
"Your support is so critical to the work that we're able to do locally to make sure that we can take care of our own community," said Ellis Young.
For more on donating to or supporting the American Red Cross of Virginia-- including the Coastal Virginia chapter, visit their website. You can also check out the organization on Facebook.