Blood donor Kevin reaching a milestone of 200 donations. He said his father had Triple Bypass surgery in 1983, and it wouldn't have been possible without blood donors. (Canadian Blood Services Facebook Page)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

in you to give

Local blood donors needed as inventory declines ahead of busy summer months

May 17, 2022 | 4:49 PM

NANAIMO — Increased cancellations and low attendance at blood donor centres across the region is putting a strain on the available blood supply.

According to Canadian Blood Services (CBS), the blood inventory has declined by 25 per cent since the start of April.

Gayle Voyer, associate director of donor relations, said there are plenty of factors involved in this decline, including the opening up of restrictions put in place for the majority of the pandemic.

“As things open up there are more opportunities for people to travel and go places…people moving back into their offices, I think there is many factors involved.”

Voyer said they also recently updated their travel deferral policy, eliminating the 14-day waiting period to give blood if you travelled across the US border as of May 9.

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She also said donors who were diagnosed with COVID-19 only have to wait until they are fully recovered before being eligible to donate blood again.

“They can take a look at our eligibility quiz and that does help them determine if they are eligible as of now, and if they’ve had COVID, they can check into that as well.”

Voyer said there is also no waiting period for donations after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine.

CBS’s chief supply chain officer Rick Prinzen said the blood reserves can be replenished before it begins to affect patient care.

He added while donor attendance remained high during past waves of COVID-19, they noticed a shift in March of this year.

“We have experienced a 10 per cent increase in late cancellations and missed appointments influenced by recent illness, isolation requirements and the lifting of restrictions and a seven per cent rise in deferrals related in part to increased travel.”

Hoping to fill those appointments before National Blood Donor Week (June 12-18), CBS said one in two people in Canada are able to donate blood, plasma, and platelets, but as little as one in every 81 people do.

The next blood donor drive in Nanaimo is from May 24-26 and June 21-23 at Beban Park Social Centre, and masks are required to be worn when donating blood.

To book an appointment to donate and join Canada’s Lifeline, download the GiveBlood app, call 1 888 2 DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or book now at blood.ca.

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