The willingness to donate blood continues to decline. This is already having consequences for the clinics. The situation is tense and could deteriorate further.
For some blood groups, canned goods orders from hospitals have already had to be reduced by 50 percent, a spokeswoman for the DRK blood donation service West told WESTFALENSPIEGEL. The bottleneck is particularly large with blood group 0 negative. It is the universal donor blood group. Because almost everyone can receive blood cells of blood group 0 with the Rhesus factor negative as a transfusion. “But actually we need blood donations from all groups,” the spokeswoman continues.
In the first four months of the year, almost eleven percent fewer blood donors were registered in the west blood donation district. For individual districts such as Warendorf (minus 14.8 percent) or Borken (minus 16.7 percent), the decline was even greater compared to the same period last year. This does not bode well for the situation in the coming weeks and months. “Already last summer, some clinics postponed operations because the blood products they had in stock were not sufficient to treat patients if necessary,” explains the spokeswoman. Even now, the requirements of many clinics can no longer be met.
Negative trend “stop urgently”
The experts at the blood donation service attribute the current low willingness to the lifting of the restrictions due to the pandemic. People could do something again, travel, go to the theater or to a restaurant. The blood donation date often falls behind. “The institutions in the blood donation system are aware of the fluctuations over the year, there are always times when things get difficult. This year, however, the effects are showing up so early that the declining volume trend must now be stopped urgently,” says Stephan David Küpper, spokesman for the DRK Blood Donation Service West.
The blood group barometer shows which blood groups are particularly scarce at the moment. Photo: DRK Blood Donation Service West
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Another problem: the baby boomer generation, who are keen to donate, are getting too old to donate blood. But there are hardly any younger regular donors. A trend that is causing great concern to donor services. However, further bottlenecks can be expected in the future.
Donation also possible after corona infection
If you would like to donate blood, you can find offers in your area on the West Blood Donation Service website. Incidentally, people who have survived a corona disease can also donate their lifeblood. Anyone who has largely come through the infection with no or only mild symptoms should wait a week after the symptoms have subsided. Those who are a little more severely ill can stay for up to four weeks.
jueb / co
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