LA Care Health Plan hosted a blood drive Oct. 26 in downtown Los Angeles to respond to a nationwide blood and platelet shortage, which dropped to its lowest post-summer level due to the pandemic, according to the Red Cross. “Fall is typically a time when the blood supply rebounds from summer blood shortages, but a surge in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. due to the delta variant has contributed to the lowest donor turnout of the year,” the Red Cross said in an Oct. 11 statement. After state-imposed lockdowns and social distancing restrictions canceled thousands of blood drives across the country, fewer Americans donated blood, affecting millions of lifesaving transfusions, according to the Red Cross. The nonprofit LA Care Health Plan collected approximately 20 units of blood. Each donation could save three lives in need of red blood cells, platelets, or plasma transfusions. “At this point, we’re so desperate on collecting …