Elizabeth Underwood

Photographer & Editor

Blood Drive during COVID-19

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Red Cross worker Tessa Foti, le...g to donate blood or platelets.

Red Cross worker Tessa Foti, left, jokes with donor Rachael Zelenak, center, on March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. The Red Cross has not yet changed their hours because of COVID-19 yet, but has implemented a new check-in protocol for people wanting to donate blood or platelets.

The Red Cross continued to accept blood and platelet donations March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Mo. The Red Cross announced Tuesday that they would take additional precautions in their check-in and work process. The precautions included making everyone use hand sanitizer and get their temperature taken before checking in.

Bottles of hand sanitizer and a...perature taken before donating.

Bottles of hand sanitizer and a thermometer are placed on the front desk on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. In response to COVID-19, the Red Cross started requiring everyone who enters the building to use hand sanitizer and have their temperature taken before donating.

Eric Barnes, right, takes James...sure no one is running a fever.

Eric Barnes, right, takes James Linsenbardt's, left, temperature on March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. Everyone has to have their temperature taken by a worker before donating to make sure no one is running a fever.

Collection technician Marilou B... veins on donors to track them.

Collection technician Marilou Bellamy marks the veins on Michael Barbarick's arm on March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. Workers mark the location of veins on donors to track them.

Wires to a machine separating b...or shown symptoms of the virus.

Wires to a machine separating blood and platelets on March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. Despite the growing concerns with COVID-19, the Red Cross continued to accept donations as long as people had not recently traveled or shown symptoms of the virus.

People donate blood on Wednesda...or the past three to four days.

People donate blood on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. According to Red Cross worker Eric Barnes, the amount of donations received by the Red Cross in Columbia has doubled daily for the past three to four days.

Sisters Alexia Barbarick, left,...le their parents donated blood.

Sisters Alexia Barbarick, left, and Kaitlyn Barbarick lean against each other on March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. The sisters sat and watched Frozen 2 on their mom's phone while their parents donated blood.

Potential donors wait to get ch...es of people wanting to donate.

Potential donors wait to get checked in and their temperature taken on March 18, 2020, at the Red Cross Blood Donation Center in Columbia, Missouri. The Red Cross announced Tuesday in a press release that they would take the temperatures of people wanting to donate.