Paris (AFP)
Blood reserves continue to decline due to the impacts of Covid-19 and the situation is "extremely worrying", warns François Toujas, president of the French Blood Establishment (EFS), who calls for blood donation "urgently ".
"We deliver more than what we collect and the reserves are falling" and reached Monday morning "the threshold of 82,000 pockets of red blood cells in reserve", a "level never reached for 10 years", underlines the EFS.
At least 100,000 bags are needed to have a reserve level to have enough blood of each blood group in all hospitals.
The situation is "unprecedented" for the EFS, which must collect 10,000 donations per day to meet the needs of patients.
"Today, the account is not there", while the resumption of hospital activity is very strong.
Since March, companies and universities have barely hosted blood drives due to the impacts of the health crisis (teleworking, distance learning, health protocols, etc.), explains the EFS, specifying that the mobile collection, in particular in business, represents 80% of blood donations.
The EFS therefore asks employers to "facilitate the donation of blood by their employees" and local authorities to "continue to facilitate the organization of mobile blood drives in the territories".
It is particularly aimed at students so that they can donate blood in mobile blood drives or in the 120 donation centers.
To find out where to donate, visit dondesang.efs.sante.fr or the Blood Donation app.
The lifespan of blood products like red blood cells is limited (42 days).
For the donation, all precautions are taken to avoid the risk of transmission of the coronavirus (wearing a mask compulsory for all, physical distancing and reinforced hygiene).
In this context, as a precaution, people who have had symptoms of Covid must wait 28 days after their disappearance to donate blood, says the EFS.
© 2020 AFP