The need for blood donations is increasing in Edmonton as surgical procedures ramp up following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
There are over 1,800 donation appointments in the city that need to be filled by July 31.
“The demand for blood has risen above pre-COVID-19 levels,” said Marissa Stryker with Canadian Blood Services. “That’s due to the fact that as most regions across Canada start to phase in — or have begun to phase in — their reopening plans. This allows hospitals to ramp up surgical procedures that were previously put on hold due to COVID-19.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Alberta surgeons were performing roughly 60 per cent fewer operations than normal. It’s estimated 25,000 surgeries were cancelled between March 18 and May 4, 2020.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro said in March that the province is aiming to perform 55,000 additional scheduled surgeries this year, on top of the 29,000 operations done in a typical year.
Stryker said the fact that Albertans are finally able to be out and about with little restriction likely also plays a role in the unfilled appointments.
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“It is the fact that we’ve been cooped up,” she said. “I think a lot of people are very eager to get out and enjoy the summer.
“We want to remind people to keep us top of mind.”
She added that summer months in typical years generally do see the problem of a greater need, combined with lower donations.
“We do see less appointments through the summer,” Stryker said. “But a reminder that the need for blood is constant, it never takes a holiday.
“It’s the summer, everyone wants to get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather. So the highways are busier, this can translate to a higher number of accidents and a greater potential of injuries resulting in blood transfusions.”
The blood donation shortage currently being dealt with in Alberta extends Canada-wide. Canadian Blood Services said in early July that it was behind in booking thousands of appointments for the month.
Stryker said that there is particularly a need for donors with O negative (universal) blood type.
“When seconds count, when someone’s life is on the line and there’s no time to test their blood type, patients in an emergency situation need that O negative blood,” she said.
“We usually like to sit between five to eight days of (O negative) supply on hand. Right now, we’re sitting on about three days for anticipated hospital needs.”
An appointment takes about an hour and still includes COVID-19 protocols like masking and distancing. The blood donation itself takes about 10 minutes.
“It is very simple. I think a lot of people think it’s going to be this big dramatic process,” Stryker said.
“If you have just an hour, you give an hour, you give someone a lifetime.”
Appointments to donate blood can be booked online.
–with files from Heide Pearson, Global News
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