Blood reserves nationwide are critically low, with only an average of four-and-a-half days of stock available, while only 3.7 days of stock is on hand for type O blood, the Taiwan Blood Services Foundation said yesterday, urging people to donate.
About 5.1 days of reserves are available for type A and AB blood, and 5.2 days of stock for type B blood, foundation data showed.
Its Taipei center has the least reserves among all of its centers, with 3.4 days of stock, including just 2.7 days of type O blood, Taipei Blood Center planning division director-general Liu Chun-hung (劉俊宏) said.
Photo: CNA
Types A, B and AB have 4.2, 3.7 and 3.6 days of reserves available respectively, Liu said.
He said the situation in Taipei was severe, as the center only has about 30 percent of the reserves required for hospital use.
The main reason for the blood shortage was the long Lunar New Year holiday, he said.
While the foundation launched a blood drive before the holiday to stock up, it only received enough donations to bring the reserves up to five days, he said.
Blood transfusions during the holiday season, the weather and a trend of spending the holidays overseas have all contributed to a drastic decrease in supply and the number of people donating blood, he said.
The foundation’s Hsinchu Blood Center, which supplies hospitals in Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli County, said it has about half the amount needed.
It needs 7,000 bags of blood daily, but as of Friday, it only had 3,500 bags, it said, adding that if the number of donors did not increase, its reserves might fall to less than three days worth of blood.
Additional reporting by Liao Hsueh-ju
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