WILMINGTON — Two blood drives have been scheduled in Robeson County as the American Red Cross extends its urgent call for donors of all blood types to give blood or platelets.

A blood drive is to take place 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the University Center Lounge, Building 19, 1 University Drive in Pembroke. The second is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 31 at Red Springs Presbyterian Church, located at 115 N. Vance St. in Red Springs.

With influenza escalating across the country and preventing some donors from giving, and winter weather threatening to cancel blood drives, the Red Cross now has less than a three-day supply of type O blood available for patient emergencies and medical treatments.

Type O positive blood is the most transfused blood type and can be given to Rh-positive patients of any blood type. While just 7% of the U.S. population has type O negative blood, it can be transfused to patients with any blood type and is what hospital staff reach for during emergencies when there isn’t time to determine a patient’s blood type.

Donors of all blood types — especially types O positive and O negative — are urged to make an appointment to give blood or platelets using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-733-2767 or enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.