GALLATIN COUNTY — The American Red Cross is known for its continuing efforts to provide blood for those who need it most, and now, the organization wants to let donors know if they’ve had the coronavirus through antibody testing.
Starting today, the American Red Cross will test all blood donations for coronavirus antibodies regardless if donors have shown symptoms in the past.
The organization says the tests are solely to provide donors with personal information.
“No, it’s really for you. It’s really for the donor to see if they’ve ever been exposed to the virus, and the donor will have the opportunity to know what the test results were about seven to ten days afterward. It’s not for any research purposes. It’s really just to let our donors know,” explained Thomas Hensley with the American Red Cross.
Donors can call 1-800-RED-CROSS, visit online or go through the Blood Donor App to schedule an appointment. The next available blood drive will be on June 26 at the First Baptist Church in Bozeman. All previous blood drives are booked.