Australians donate a record number of blood to make up for the shortfall

The urgent blood call broke the record seen between the bombing of Bali and the wildfire, resulting in a surge in donations.

The national inventory of O + and A + blood fell to just two days of supply last week, urgently calling for donors from Red Cross Lifeblood.

Lifeblood spokeswoman Jemma Falkenmire said last week’s call for donations led to even greater reaction than during other major crises.

However, despite positive reactions, Lifeblood is concerned about a consistent shortage of donors.

“The real challenge for us is that we donate only 1-2 percent of our population on a regular basis,” she said.

“There are about 500,000 people who give it only once a year.

“In summary, if those people give it twice a year, that probably means we don’t have to appeal.”

How Safe is Australia’s Blood Supply?

There is a shortage of regular donors and blood stocks can be supplied in a few days, but Erica Wood, president of the International Blood Transfusion Association, does not feel the need for panic.

“We are very fortunate in Australia. We have a safe and secure blood supply, and by mobilizing blood donors in the community, it remains healthy during the COVID pandemic,” says Professor Wood.

“That said, the blood supply is always fragile and some blood products have a very short shelf life. For example, platelets that help blood clots can only be stored for a few days, so they are continuous most days. Needs collection. Year. “

Australia is self-sufficient in supplying whole blood, but Professor Wood points out that some plasma products, such as immunoglobulins, need to be imported from abroad.

“Previously, the immunoglobulins made from the donated plasma were self-sufficient, but demand has increased over the years and more than half of these immunoglobulins are imported,” she said.

“We and others are studying how this clinical demand for immunoglobulin products can be modified, and we hope that all these efforts will work together.”

Pandemics can cause a global shortage of some plasma products

John Deakin Bell, Head of Healthcare and Biotechnology Research at Citi, said Australia has been exposed to some global supply problems due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Currently, there is a shortage of plasma donations in the United States, supplying most of the final products in the United States, Europe and parts of Asia,” Deakin Bell said.

However, as expectations for the potential COVID-19 vaccine increased during that period, Dee Kimbel did not consider it too much of a concern.

“I have a global perspective and I’m happy to be in Australia if I need whole blood,” he said.

“So I think we did a great job compared to most people compared to most other countries.”

The National Blood Department, the government agency that oversees the state’s supply, also claims that the supply remains safe and secure, and calls for blood donations should not raise concerns about inventory levels.

Remoteness hinders some donations

One hurdle for some people who want to donate blood is often just their location.

Remote people like Carla Viskovich can’t help much when the country’s blood supply is scarce and urgent calls for donations come out.

She lives in Kalgoorlie, a mining town in Western Australia that does not have a blood donation center.

The Red Cross Lifeblood has 91 donor centers and a mobile collection van that visits 800 sites each year, but Kalgoorlie residents need to travel 6 hours to visit the nearest site.

“We also understand that we are far away. It’s 600 kilometers to Perth and it’s difficult to carry blood,” Biskovich said.

“When we come to Perth, it’s a problem for us to reach out and donate as much as we can, but it’s a shame we can’t do that in our town.”