World Blood Donation Day: Want to donate blood during COVID-19 pandemic? Here’s how you can do it
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The World Blood Donor day takes place every year on 14 June. Blood donations are needed all over the world to ensure individuals and communities have access to safe and quality-assured blood and blood products in both normal and emergency situations.
Due to the lockdown there was a huge reduction in number of blood donors. The blood bank faced many challenges. According to Indian Red Cross Society’s weekly update as of June 4, blood units collected were 99 while united issues were 216.
WHO said that the day and the theme are also a call to action for governments, national health authorities and national blood transfusion services to provide adequate resources and put in place systems and infrastructures to increase the collection of blood from voluntary, non-remunerated blood donors; to provide quality donor care; to promote and implement appropriate clinical use of blood; and to set up systems for the oversight and surveillance on the whole chain of blood transfusion.
The objectives of this year’s campaign are to:
Celebrate and thank individuals who donate blood and encourage more people to start donating;
Raise wider awareness of the urgent need to increase the availability of safe blood for use wherever and whenever it is needed to save life;
Demonstrate the need for universal access to safe blood transfusion and provide advocacy on its role in the provision of effective health care and in achieving universal health coverage;
Mobilize support at national, regional and global levels among governments and development partners to invest in, strengthen and sustain national blood programmes.
The CDC has issued advice to blood and plasma collection facilities on how to operate safely during the pandemic.
Maintaining good respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
Following hand hygiene practices.
Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces regularly.
Placing seats six feet apart in waiting areas and the collection area
Ensuring that donation centre workers do not work if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Making sure that all staff are aware of the latest policies and safety procedures in response to the pandemic.
Anyone who is not showing any symptoms of COVID-19 currently or has not had any illness recently, or has not come in contact with a patient of COVID 19, can donate blood.
That being said, if you are going for blood donation, all you need is to follow these steps:
Practice hand sanitisation.
Avoid touching your face with unsanitised hands.
Always wear a mask.
After returning home, change all your clothes and, if possible, take a bath too.
Steam your face and nasal passage, just to avoid infection.
Try drinking herbal decoctions every day, even if you are staying home.