Ratingen. The blood shortage continues: the German Red Cross is once again asking for blood donations to avoid a bottleneck in the supply. As announced Wednesday by the DRK, “for several weeks less blood than necessary was donated.” According to Stephan David Küpper, press spokesman for DRK Blood Donation Service West, “due to the cold spells, the flu season and more of the Corona, many potential blood donors are absent.”
In the federal states that the Blood Donation Service West is responsible for (Saarland, NRW, Rhineland-Palatinate), Küpper said that, when asked, 3,500 blood donations were needed every day. The “offering range”, ie the donation stock, is currently two days – the target is six days. Nationally, about 14,000 blood donations are needed every day, with the supply situation varying from country to country; while things are still going well in Bavaria, for example, there are already signs of problems in the north.
Regional blood donation dates are below www.blutspende.jetzt to be found and also bookable online. Appointment bookings are part of the crown protection concept. After a normal cold, blood can be donated as soon as the symptoms have disappeared. To be safe, a one week buffer after symptoms have subsided makes sense.
Even people with mild coronavirus disease can donate blood again for the first week after they are symptom-free. After taking antibiotics or a febrile illness, a waiting period of four weeks must be scheduled before the next blood donation. The same is true after severe corona disease. (cw)
