For fear of corona, the willingness to donate decreases. The BRK Freising cannot confirm this trend. Nevertheless, one appeals to the population.
Landkreis - Around 15,000 blood preserves are needed in Germany every day. But for fear of Corona, many people no longer donate. Fortunately, Freisings BRK managing director Albert Söhl cannot confirm this trend. But he also emphasizes that the willingness to donate should not wane.
The latest donation date in the district was a few weeks ago - it took place in mid-February before the corona virus began to spread in the region. "The influx was very good, on the two days, ie eight hours, there were a total of around 400 people," reports Söhl. Since the willingness is fundamentally great, he will not worry in the future that too little will be donated in Freising.
The great interest is important. Due to the pandemic, many operations that can be postponed are currently not being carried out. According to Söhl, the need for donated blood is “rather less”. Nevertheless, people are still dependent on blood supplies. "Regular blood exchange is important and there is a great need for certain types of cancer, such as leukemia," explains the BRK district manager. "Donate diligently even in times of Corona" is his appeal to the district citizens.
Donate by far: Even in times of corona, blood supplies are urgently needed. The necessary safety measures also apply here.
© Icon image: dpa / Thomas Frey
However, the current restrictions should of course be observed: People who have had contact with someone who has been diagnosed with Covid19 or with a suspected case must wait four weeks before they can donate again. If you are infected yourself, you have to wait at least eight weeks after the next blood donation after healing. According to Söhl, this is an important piece of information, because the next blood donation appointments in the district are coming again - of course with the necessary security measures: The blood donation service is on site on Thursday, April 30th in the Allershausen primary school. On Monday and Tuesday, May 4th and 5th, it will continue in Freising - for the first time in the new Rotkreuzhaus.
This is how blood donation works: The most important questions and answers
Who can donate their blood?
Any healthy person can donate blood from their 18th birthday to one day before their 73rd birthday. First-time donors must be younger than 64 years old. You also have to weigh at least 50 kilograms and be absolutely healthy. There must be at least 55 days between two blood donations to prevent iron deficiency.
How does a donation work?
Anyone who comes to donate must first register with their blood donation card. First-time donors register with their ID and receive the blood donation ID later by post. Then a medical questionnaire about your own health needs to be filled out. The hemoglobin level in the blood is then determined. This tests whether the body has enough iron reserves to produce new red blood cells after the donation. If the value is too low, blood donation is not possible - to protect the donor. During the subsequent medical examination, blood pressure, pulse and body temperature are measured and the circulation is checked. The medical questionnaire is discussed with the doctor.
Now comes the actual donation:
This is carried out by experienced nurses and nurses and takes about ten minutes. About 500 milliliters of blood are drawn. Subsequently, the donor has the option of excluding his donation from its usability through confidential self-exclusion. In some situations, donors cannot or do not want to admit a known risk of infection. The self-exclusion gives the opportunity to confidentially point out that the donation should be destroyed.
So that there are no complications after the donation, relaxation is necessary: You should rest on the lounger for about ten minutes, you should eat something and drink enough.
Then what happens to the blood?
After the appointment, the blood goes on a long journey: Blood donated in Bavaria is brought to the production and logistics center in Lower Franconian Wiesentheid. There the blood is centrifuged and broken down into the components erythrocytes (red blood cells), thrombocytes (platelets) and plasma. While the concentrate of the red blood cells, which is used for high blood losses, can be kept for up to 42 days, the platelets that are responsible for coagulation have to go quickly: they can only be used for four to five days. The blood fluid (plasma), which is mainly used for the manufacture of medicines, is frozen and can be stored longer.
Three test tubes are also filled with the donation. These are first tested in laboratories in Munich and Wiesentheid. If something is wrong, the donation is destroyed and the donor is contacted by his family doctor.
Source: BRK blood donation service