Coronavirus crisis scares away blood donors

Yonhap

By Park Si-soo

Fears of coronavirus is making people increasingly reluctant to donate blood ― which has slashed the stock of blood to “warning” level.

As of Tuesday, Korea Red Cross had only 874 units in its Busan office, which at a normal pace would be used in the next two days. The shortage of Type O and A is more severe ― enough for only 1.7 days.

The recommended stock level is five days.

“If the level becomes 'serious,' our blood supply to hospitals will be disrupted and naturally many scheduled surgeries will have to be delayed,” said a Red Cross official. “There are signs that hospitals are trying to stock more blood than usual. So for now we are managing the stock in a more conservative way, monitoring stock levels at hospitals and checking scheduled surgeries.”

The organization is increasing efforts to encourage blood donations, but few people are responding amid the fear of coronavirus.

“We thoroughly check body temperature, recent travel history and respiratory problem of donors before taking their blood,” the official said. “We have contacted public organizations and big companies in pursuit of group donations, but few give a positive answer.”