Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a lack of blood in all of Thuringia – that also notices Institute for Transfusion Medicine Suhl (ITMS). The ITMS ensures that enough blood is always available and that it is distributed to the Thuringian clinics for operations and treatments. But since spring 2020 there have been fewer and fewer blood donors. Interventions that are not necessary have to be postponed in order to be able to reserve the blood for urgent operations such as after serious accidents or for the treatment of cancer patients. ITMS managing director Wolfgang Wehner can only speculate about the reasons for the decreased number of donors, but suspects a general fear of public space since the beginning of the pandemic and the 3G regulation for blood donations that is now valid in Thuringia.
Free corona antibody test possible
As a small incentive to donate blood despite Corona, the ITMS is now offering free of charge to subject the donated blood to a corona antibody test. In this way, the donor knows whether he or she may have had Corona before. This information could also be helpful in the run-up to a possible booster vaccination. If you want such an antibody test, you can simply forego your usual expense allowance for the blood donation and thus receive the antibody test free of charge.
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