Outbreak strains donor blood supplies

As the novel coronavirus outbreak keeps people from busy streets, where blood donation kiosks are stationed, blood supplies have hit record lows in many locations.

In response, a number of blood banks have launched awareness campaigns of the situation and rolled out services allowing people to make appointments for a donation on their doorstep.

The Jiangxi Provincial Blood Center in Southeast China said it has texted millions of phone users in Nanchang, the provincial capital, offering to make house calls to potential donors. It asked on-site donors to wear facial masks and make appointments on its WeChat account to avoid crowds.

The center said 410 people donated more than 130,000 milliliters of blood on Feb 3 and 4, signs the awareness campaign worked.

The Chongqing Blood Center in Southwest China this month rolled out similar services to ease the blood shortage. The center said 185 people made online appointments on Feb 4, and 60 people donated 21,700 milliliters on Feb 4 and 5. The blood bank in Chongqing has had to strain to meet clinical demands, especially for "universal donor" Type-O blood, Xinhua News Agency reported on Feb 6.

The demand for blood remained stable during the coronavirus outbreak, experts say. Blood transfusion is essential for severe novel coronavirus pneumonia patients after organ failures lead to anemia and blood coagulation dysfunctions or necessitate ECMO treatment, according to the Jiangxi Provincial Blood Center.