As the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to affect the many facets of everyday life, the virus has also impacted the flow of blood donation to the National Blood Transfusion Services (NBTS).
Director of NBTS, Dr Pedro Lewis
The year 2020 started exceptionally well for the blood bank, but as fears and confirmation of the COVID-19 cases locally became a reality, the blood bank noticed a significant decrease in blood donations.
Director of NBTS, Doctor Pedro Lewis is urging persons to donate blood. According to the doctor, there is no evidence to support that COVID-19 can be transferred via blood.
“Persons ask if the immune system will be affected by donating blood and the question is no. There is no evidence pointing out that persons can get this virus through blood donation. We know the hospitals, the patients, everybody is depending on our voluntary donors for blood.”
However, for people who will be receiving blood transfusions, they too are being ensured that every precautionary measure is being taken to ensure that safe blood is obtained.
“Just like every ordinary respiratory illness, we always screen our donors. We asked questions about coughing, we ask questions about fever if that person is taking medications for their illnesses so that we can defer donors who come here with fever. Another problem that is facing a lot of blood banks too is that most of the persons with COVID-19 are symptomatic.
Lewis further stated that unless persons donate blood, the blood bank can quickly become depleted.
“Our stock will run down because for the past two weeks we have barely had two or three persons coming and donating; this is countrywide. We are talking about Region Six, 10, Two and Three. This is the reason I am appealing to people not to be scared. You can still come and donate”, he urged.
Meanwhile, the process of blood transfusion takes about 15 minutes, and a unit of blood can only be kept for 35 days, after which it must be disposed of.
