Hong Kong Red Cross appeals for blood donors as it warns stocks to run out in days amid influx of hospital admissions
- Storage of blood types O, A and B to run out in less than four days, while inventories for type AB will only last five or six days, service says
- Number of regular donors has declined in recent weeks because of flu-related illnesses, service’s director adds
The Hong Kong Red Cross has appealed for blood donations and warned its inventory will run out in days as the number of regular donors had dropped because of the flu as hospitals confront an influx of patients.
The Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service announced on Thursday that its stocks of blood types O, A and B would run out in less than four days, while inventories for type AB would only last five or six days.
The ideal supply of fresh, quality blood should last for about nine to 10 days, Lee Cheuk-kwong, chief executive and medical director of the service, said.
He said an average of 620 people a day visited the service’s donor centres across the city, but they had to turn away about 30 to 40 each day in recent weeks because of flu-related illnesses.
“Some suffer from respiratory infections, while others are on medication or have mild flu symptoms,” Lee said. “We received 1,000 fewer bags of blood this month compared with the previous month.
“We hope more citizens will come forward to donate, especially before the coming cold spell and Lunar New Year period.”
The service’s website said it received only 516 units of blood the previous day, well under the daily collection target of 650 units.
