Covid impacted blood donations - but donors kept coming
As we continue our Give Blood, Save Lives campaign to boost blood donations across the Highlands and Moray we asked the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) to reflect on how Covid lockdowns - first imposed five years ago this month - impacted on donation levels then.
Head of donor marketing and engagement, Jennifer Wilson, said: “As a result of home working and learning during the pandemic, the SNBTS corporate and school collection programme had to pause.
“As a direct result of this, donor numbers fell.”
And that impact, she added, is still being felt today, with the service working hard to reverse that downturn ever since.
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“Many community halls became unavailable for donation sessions due to social distancing guidelines or because they were required as vaccination centres, which meant more donors were asked to donate at their local donor centres (in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness) rather than in their local communities,” she said.
Despite these challenges existing blood donors, it appears, were more than happy to rise to the challenge.
“It was however evident that regular donors gave more often during the pandemic, and we are very grateful for the support donors gave NHS Scotland during that time,” Ms Wilson said.
“Donors were amazing during the pandemic.
“Giving blood was classed as essential travel, and blood and platelet donors continued to come forward.
“We’d like to thank our staff who were classified as key workers, and worked every day to ensure the blood and platelet supply was not impacted.”
Donated blood is essential to support people undergoing operations or as part of treatment for a range of conditions, including cancer.
Highland News and Media wants to bring 5000 people from across the Highlands and Moray in to give blood between now and Easter.
Join our campaign to give blood and save lives - and help restore blood donations to pre-Covid levels.
Book an appointment to give blood at www.scotblood.co.uk, or call 0345 90 90 999 (Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm).
