Canadian blood donations at 10-year low
Posted June 13, 2022 2:25 pm.
Last Updated June 13, 2022 6:51 pm.
Canada is in dire need of blood donations, and the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame.
“We’ve had the lowest number of donors in our donor system since the start of the pandemic — a reduction of about 31,000 donors,” said Gayle Voyer, with Canadian Blood Services.
It’s National Blood Donor week, and the agency says the number of donors has plummeted during the pandemic to its lowest point in a decade. Voyer says they need 100,000 people to give by the end of the year to meet patient needs.
She says while some people continued to give blood through COVID, they are in desperate need of new donors.
“We have a small donor base of people that are basically maintaining the system for us across the country… but it’s not sustainable.”
Related article: Canadian Blood Services changes donation screening to focus on behaviour, not sexuality
The pandemic not only put up barriers to people going in to donate, but also hampered the Canadian Blood Services’ community outreach efforts to raise awareness of the need to give.
“All of those factors combined has kind of put us into a situation where some people just aren’t aware that [blood is] needed.”
If you want to donate, you can book an appointment at the blood.ca, or download the Give Blood app.
“Males can donate every 56 days, and females can donate every 84 days,” she noted.
In April, Health Canada authorized Canadian Blood Services to remove blood donation restrictions on men who have sex with other men, and screen everyone for high-risk sexual behaviours regardless of gender or sexuality.
Health Canada called the decision “a significant milestone toward a more inclusive blood donation system nationwide” and came after a thorough review of evidence and scientific experts weighing in to support the safety of the change.
Canadian Blood Services’ new screening approach, which is expected to be implemented by Sept. 30, is sexual behaviour-based and will apply to anyone who donates blood or plasma.
Potential donors will be asked if they have had new or multiple sexual partners in the last three months, no matter their gender or sexuality. They will then be asked whether they have had anal sex with any of those partners and if they have, then they will need to wait three months since that activity before donating blood.
With files from Hana Mae Nassar, Joey Chini, and Claire Fenton
