The pandemic also had a negative impact on this social and humanitarian action
The current coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected all aspects of human lives, including the socio-humanitarian action of blood donation, despite all measures to protect potential donors.
Negative trends
The Red Cross is making additional efforts to encourage citizens to donate blood in these times of crisis.
- According to the information we have, the COVID-19 virus also affected voluntary blood donation. The number of donors has significantly decreased compared to the previous period – Indira Kriještorac, the spokeswoman for the Red Cross, told Media.
From the very beginning of the pandemic, many organizations additionally worked on the animation of citizens and organized extraordinary actions of voluntary blood donation.
According to the Red Cross, the actions are organized in accordance with the annual plan, and in cooperation with the Institute for Transfusion Medicine of the Red Cross. The structure of the Red Cross collects an average of about 20,000 doses of blood each year, and about 450 voluntary donation actions are organized.
Instructions of the Institute
On the website of the Institute for Transfusion Medicine of Re Cross, you can find recommendations issued in accordance with the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, in which people with symptoms or if they have been in contact with an infected person are asked not to apply for blood donation. Also, it is necessary to inform the Institute if the symptoms appear two weeks after the blood donation.
Although respiratory viruses are not known to be transmitted by blood transfusions, donors are asked to refrain from donating for at least 28 days after resolving symptoms. In all transfusion institutions, measures of disinfection, wearing masks and gloves, social distance, and mandatory triage of users are respected.
The importance of blood donation
The Red Cross emphasizes the importance of donating blood as a noble act, where one dose of blood can help up to three human lives.
- What makes us happy is that although the motives for donating blood are different, humanity is still in the first place. Also, it should be pointed out that on average, two actions of voluntary blood donation are realized every week, organized by the Central Committee throughout the Media – said the Red Cross.
