The summer heat, Corona, the upcoming summer holidays and a high blood requirement in the clinics are causing concern for the blood donation services. The supply situation is already extremely tense.
In Berlin and Brandenburg, the supply situation for blood products is according to German Red Cross (DRC) remain extremely tense. “We have a daily stock of just under two days, five days in advance would be desirable,” said Kerstin Schweiger, spokeswoman for the DRK blood donation service north-east of the German Press Agency. “We see the big one Holidays with concern because the depots are not well stocked and the blood preparations do not keep for long,” explained the spokeswoman.
Depending on the preparation, the shelf life is 5 to 42 days. “We have to reckon with the fact that many regular donors are absent due to vacation,” says Schweiger. Only if constant donations are made every working day in the next two summer months can patient care be secured over the summer holidays.
The need in the clinics remains high – in some cases it is up to 30 percent higher than under normal conditions, since treatments that were postponed during the lockdown phases are made up for in addition to normal operations. The very hot summer weather and the high rate of corona infections make things more difficult.
Many infected donors are temporarily not allowed to donate blood. “After a symptomatic corona infection with fever, blood can only be donated 28 days after healing, after a mild infection without fever seven days after healing,” said the spokeswoman.
Blood donors can donate to the DRK, but also to private and state-communal blood donation services. The latter also offer financial compensation.
(dpa)
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