We must
"get out of a potentially dangerous area in the very short term"
, alerted the French Blood Establishment (EFS) on Tuesday, calling
on "all citizens (a) to give their blood as soon as possible"
.
The blood reserves lack indeed 30,000 bags to regain the level of security necessary to meet the need for transfusions.
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“The stock of blood products has been below the safety threshold and has been for several days. 70,000 bags of red blood cells are now in reserve when 100,000 are needed
,” writes the EFS in a press release.
“For the first time in its history”
, the establishment is publishing a
“vital emergency bulletin”
in response to this
“critical situation”
.
“Two years of permanent tension linked to the impacts generated by the Covid (cancellations of collections in companies and universities, weaker mobilization of donors, difficulties in recruiting medical personnel) have considerably affected blood collection. The wave linked to the Omicron variant, which affected several million French people in a few weeks, added two critical elements: the self-deferral of certain blood donors and a high rate of absenteeism among EFS staff
. the public institution responsible for collecting blood.
“10,000 donations are needed every day to treat patients, the vast majority of whom find blood transfusions the only alternative to being treated,”
he recalls.
A period of 14 days post Covid-19
In the context of Covid-19, wearing a mask and more broadly respecting barrier gestures are compulsory when donating blood, but
“neither the health pass nor the vaccination pass are necessary to access it”
, specifies the 'EFS.
And
“people who have shown symptoms of Covid-19 must wait 14 days after symptoms disappear to donate blood or 14 days after testing positive”
, recalls the press release.
A list of collection points can be viewed on the dondesang.efs.sante.fr website or on the Don de sang app.
The EFS regularly launches such appeals for donations.