'We're asking people to help': Canadian Blood Services issues urgent call for donors after drop in inventory

There is a critical need for blood donors in Canada right now.

Earlier this week, Canadian Blood Services issued an urgent call for donors following a lull in attendance and rising cancellations.

According to the organization, the country's national blood inventory has fallen by 25 per cent since the beginning of April.

Now, the organization is urging new and returning donors of all blood types to donate over the coming weeks.

Kathie Gracie, the Canadian Blood Services' associate director of donor relations for the Atlantic region, says the decline in donations is concerning.

"We always see a dip coming into the summer anyway, but this year, we've already dipped before we hit the summer, so it's really concerning for us," she said.

Gracie says, for the Atlantic region, there has been a 10-per-cent increase in cancellations and no-shows.

"A lot of it's from COVID. So, it's related illnesses, isolation and lifting of restrictions, so that really puts a strain on collections and, as you can see, a 25-per-cent decrease in the national blood inventory," she said.

As of right now, Gracie says patients aren't being affected by the decline in blood donations, but that could change if donations don't pick up.

"With a 25-per-cent decrease in our blood inventory, it's always concerning that if that decline continues and we don't start to see the rise, that it will ultimately affect the patients' needs and that's not where we want to go," Gracie said.

"So, it's very important that we start to climb and start to see that inventory climb, and that we get into a good spot leading into the summer months." 

Currently in the Atlantic region, there are 410 open appointments for blood donations until the end of May -- 107 of which are in Halifax.

"So, we're asking people to help us fill those appointments, and more importantly, we're asking people to be mindful of when your next blood donor appointment is," she said.

According to a statement from the Canadian Blood Services this week, one in two Canadians are eligible to donate blood, but only one in 81 actually do.

Canadian Blood Services says appointments to donate are required, but same-day appointments are available each day at many donor centres and community events.

Infection-control measures are still in place, including wellness screening, mandatory masking and physical distancing, and all staffmembers are fully vaccinated.

National Blood Donor Week is June 12-18.