Canadian Blood Services is urging eligible blood donors across the country to make a blood donation immediately to increase the country's low blood inventory.
Donors of all blood types are needed, but in particular those with type O and A blood.
“Without the help of Canadians we may have difficulty meeting the expected hospital demand across the country. For patients, this may mean deferring elective or routine treatments,” Mark Donnison, Canadian Blood Services vice-president of donor relations said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We are committed to doing everything that we can to bring new blood donors into the system and encourage current donors to regularly donate to ensure we don’t find ourselves in the same situation in the future.”
According to the organization, there has been a low attendance of blood donors at clinics across the country in the last few months. On top of this, the combination of a constant need for blood has caused the national inventory to become "critically low." This has created the lowest national blood inventory since 2008.
More than half of all Canadians say they (or a family member) have needed blood or blood products for a medical treatment. The organization regularly collects approximately 17,000 units of blood per week, and as of now, they need 7,500 blood donations to keep up with the demand.
If you're interested in donating blood, contact your local clinic through Canadian Blood Services.
