Don Williamson, president of the Alabama Hospital Association, said America's blood supply has a chronic shortage that is intermittently exacerbated at times. The current surge of the Omicron variant has caused a large number of blood drives to be cancelled making that shortage the highest it has ever been.

"It is unprecedented. There is no O negative blood in the state. None," Williamson said. "O negative is really sort of a shock absorber in the blood system because if you get a major motor vehicle accident or trauma situation and you are running out of type B or A you can still give that person O. Now we can't."

As of Tuesday, the supply of those other blood types was also low. LifeSouth officials said there was a three-to-four-day supply of type A and just one or two days left of type A, leaving almost no flexibility in the system.

Williamson said previously in times when donations were low Alabama could rely on other states to ship blood to fill the gap. Since every state is experiences shortages there is no way to offset the shortage.

As the blood supply lessons, Williamson said elective procedures will likely be cancelled. He said that cancer patients, especially those with leukemia, also rely on large amounts of blood for their treatments and could face delays in receiving treatment.

He stressed that by donating blood you may save a friend or family member's life, or even your own.

"Since none of us know whether we will be victim of major trauma, the life you save may be a loved one," he said.

To find a blood drive near you visit www.redcrossblood.org or www.lifesouth.org.