The not-for-profit charity says it has three days’ worth of O+ and O- blood products, five days’ worth of A+, A- and B- blood products and six days’ worth of B+ blood products, according to its national catalogue.
Delphine Denis, spokeswoman for Canadian Blood Services, said in an email Saturday that the organization expects to fall short of its donation goal by 3,000 units next week based on the current number of appointments booked. That means a 17 percent drop in its national stock.
“We encourage new and returning blood, platelet and plasma donors to make and keep an appointment,” he said.
“It is important to remember that the need for blood, plasma and platelets is continuous. Cancer patients, accident/trauma victims, people undergoing surgery and people with blood disorders rely on blood, platelet and plasma transfusions every day.”
Dennis said there are 57,000 open appointments that must be filled before the end of August across Canada in order for the organization to be able to provide patients across Canada with the necessary blood products they need in a timely manner. Donations are reduced starting July 1st.
The call for donors to keep their appointments comes after the organization suspended its mandatory mask and physical distancing policy in buildings, vehicles and donation events on July 25. The organization says masks are still available and welcome.
The removal of the mask requirement, however, has sparked an outcry from online donors. Some donors say they are considering canceling their appointments.
A regular donor, I gave blood yesterday and was surprised to see two donors there without a mask. Had I known in advance that masks were no longer required, I would have cancelled. I donate to save lives, but I don’t want to risk my own by doing so. Reverse this bad decision.
—@OttawaJojo
I just donated last week, but I guess I’ll have to cancel my September appointment to make my 137th donation. Please let me know when you reinstate the coverage requirements.
—@ScottPiatkowski
Well, it’s time to cancel my appointment.
—@DobbyZuko
Mark McCauley, a donor who lives in Stratford, Ont., said Saturday that he canceled his Thursday appointment, not because of the policy change, but because of messages from Canadian Blood Services about the change.
McCauley said the agency is “doubling down, even tripling down” on the policy. He became a donor at the beginning of the pandemic and has donated five times in the last two years.
He said donors want to be in an environment that is safe. He said, as a compromise, the agency could make the last hour of the day “mask optional.”
McCauley said the agency should review the policy change, reverse or at least amend it and apologize to sponsors for the change.
“If the bank is out of blood, that’s a really big issue. It’s a matter of life and death,” he said.
Canadian Blood Services reports that there are 57,000 open appointments that must be filled before the end of August across Canada in order for the organization to be able to provide patients across Canada with the necessary blood products they need in a timely manner. Donations are reduced starting July 1st. (Canadian Blood Services)
Denise, for her part, said the agency makes decisions in consultation with medical experts, that it has always met public health requirements and that its approach has been “coherent and measured” since the start of the pandemic. It added that its donation centers are not medical facilities.
“Canadian Blood Services is a unique organization. Although we provide life-saving products to hospitals, we are not a hospital or healthcare,” he said.
“As a community setting, we are able to move from mandatory to optional measures. In recent months we have seen restrictions loosen in many other community spaces. This may be because the majority of Canadians have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and the disease now caused by COVID-19 is much less severe in most cases.”
Surgical masks and N95 masks are available to staff, volunteers, visitors and donors on its premises, he said.
Stocks could be replenished, the agency says
Summer is always difficult when it comes to donations, he said, but this year is considered more challenging because it is the first summer since 2019 when there have been little to no public health restrictions on travel and activities. There have also been fewer in-person events in the community to recruit new donors and encourage existing donors to give blood, Dennis said, and donors may be dealing with illness or in isolation due to COVID-19. “The national blood inventory continues to meet patient needs, but Canada needs 100,000 new donors this year to keep up with demand,” he said. Dennis said it’s possible the national stockpile will be replenished if people go to give blood in the coming weeks. “We keep a close eye on donation days and while three or four days out is difficult, we can turn it around with the help of new and returning donors. We urge donors of all blood types to book immediately or in the next few weeks before over Labor Day weekend and in September,” Dennis said. Same-day and open appointments are available daily at donor centers and community events across the country, she added. “Missed or canceled appointments are hard to make up for. If you make an appointment, try to keep it. If you can’t make it, cancel it so we can find someone else to take your place or reconsider – keeping them coming months.” Dennis noted that the organization’s policy on donations from men who have sex with men is changing on September 30, 2022. Currently, men are eligible to donate blood if more than three months have passed since they last had sex with a man . But on September 30, the criteria for men who have sex with men will be lifted.
