The situation “could prove dangerous in the short term”, worries Wednesday, February 9 on franceinfo Cathy Bliem, the director general of the French Blood Establishment. Blood reserves are short of 30,000 bags to regain the level of security necessary to meet transfusion needs.
>> Historically low blood donations: “We cannot go up despite several calls to the population”, warn doctors in Occitania
franceinfo: How serious is the situation?
Cathy Bliem: The two years of permanent tension linked to the impacts of Covid-19 have seriously dented our stocks and now, for several weeks, for several days, we have a stock of around 70,000 bags of red blood cell concentrate when we need it. almost 100,000. For two years, our collection system and the mobilization of donors have been undermined.
“We have seen cancellations of collections in companies because employees were teleworking, universities were closed or deserted.”
Cathy Bliem, Director General of the French Blood Establishmentat franceinfo
We have had collection cancellations because rooms were requisitioned, for example for vaccination centers. We also had difficulty recruiting medical staff, this is a problem we share with the hospitals. And then, a lower mobilization of our donors because life is complicated for everyone.
Are all blood groups affected or is the shortage more serious for certain groups?
We need all blood types. Obviously, the O groups and, to a lesser extent, the B groups have lower stocks because they are quite rare. And the recent Omicron wave really put us “in the red” because we too had a high rate of absenteeism among our staff. There is another postponement of donors who themselves were affected by this variant.
Do you need a vaccination pass to donate blood?
There is no need for a vaccination pass or a health pass to come and donate blood. All barrier measures are taken on site. The mask is compulsory, there is hydroalcoholic gel, disinfection and you have to make an appointment.
Is there a European blood bank to help replenish stocks?
It does not exist. We could certainly import, but we are not there yet. That’s not going to happen. We have, with the help of donor associations and donors who are very generous, always passed difficult milestones and we know we can count on this mobilization. But today, it is urgent. People really need to mobilize in numbers.