A man donates his blood at the event held by the Red Cross on May 14 in central Huế City in an attempt to increase blood reserves amid COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 152 blood units are collected at the event. VNA/VNS Photo Tường Vi

HÀ NỘI — The Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion has announced it is facing a severe shortage of blood and urged people to donate blood to maintain supply amid the fourth wave of COVID-19.

Deputy director of the institute Phạm Tuấn Dương said due to the re-emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many blood donors did not come to give blood after registering, leading to a sharp decrease in blood reserves.

Many entities have postponed or cancelled blood donation drives, even in localities without reported COVID-19 cases. 

As a result, the blood reserves at the institute and many blood centres have decreased sharply, especially in the northern region where many localities are the hotspot of the pandemic.

In the institute alone, between April 27 and May 11, the amount of blood received was only 30 per cent of the goal.

As many as 47 blood donation schedules with the expected reception of 25,000 blood units were postponed or cancelled. 

The Central Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion is the unit responsible for supplying blood to 27 provinces and cities in the north home to ​​​​40 million people.

In the first 12 days of this month, the institute received only 2,920 blood units but provided 4,822 blood units. On average, the institute still needs up to 1,000 units of blood and nearly 200 units of platelets per day.

In the southern region, the same situation has occurred at HCM City’s Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital. So far, 23 blood donation schedules with the equivalent of 4,200 units of blood have been cancelled. The amount of blood received in the first half of this month was only 50 per cent of the plan.

To deal with the situation, Dương has urged localities to maintain their blood donation plans and strengthen blood donation schedules in localities with no reported COVID-19 cases. Blood donation must comply with the Ministry of Health’s regulations on pandemic prevention and control. 

The institute also suggested hospitals temporarily delay planned surgery to save emergency blood supply and encourage patients' family members in medical facilities that are under lockdown to participate in blood donation. VNS