The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) in Hanoi is willing to collect donated blood at home to ensure the safety of blood donors during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Kinh te Do thi quoted the hospital's Head of Blood Donation Mobilization Ngo Manh Quan as saying.

Quan said to cope with the current severe blood shortage, the institute has made a call and sent messages to people urging them to donate blood but many have refused.

Blood donation at the NIHBT. Photo: Ngoc Tu

Although the number of patients visiting and being treated in hospitals has decreased, leading to low demand for blood, the NIHBT still needs an average of 700 units of blood to supply them to hospitals in 25 provinces and cities.

“The NIHBT would apply strict Covid-19 infection prevention measures during blood collection, so the people can feel safe to donate their blood. Health workers going door to door to collect blood would wear face masks and protective suits," Quan said.

In the face of blood shortage, the NIHBT has urged people with blood types O and A who are strong enough to donate blood on the occasion of Voluntary Blood Donation Day (April 7).

Besides, the hospital would cease collecting blood types B and AB for the time being. As of April 6, the NIHBT had only 8,000 units of blood left, of which only a thousand units were of blood type A, accounting for only 12% of the total blood reserve (the percentage of this blood type in the population is about 20%); and 700 units were of blood type AB, accounting for 8% of total blood reserves (the proportion in the population is only about 5%).

Hundreds of people responded to the NIHBT’s call and all blood donors were required to wear face masks, wash their hands with disinfectant solution and sit two meters apart from each other to prevent Covid-19 contagion.