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Blood donation urgently needed: Lower Saxony is fighting a shortage after Elli!
After storm "Elli", the DRK is urgently calling for blood donations in Lower Saxony as supplies are at acute risk.
Blood donation urgently needed: Lower Saxony is fighting a shortage after Elli!
The blood reserves in Lower Saxony are currently on the brink. After the stormy weather caused by storm depression “Elli”, stocks have fallen sharply NDR reports that the German Red Cross (DRK) is asking for urgent support. Snow and slippery conditions meant that numerous blood donation appointments could not take place. Last Friday alone, 15 of 22 planned appointments in Lower Saxony and Bremen remained empty, resulting in a shocking tally of only 265 donors instead of the predicted 1,930.
However, weather-related cancellations are not the only reasons for the low willingness to donate. A wave of colds and the holidays have also made people less likely to donate blood. Stocks are rapidly depleting, and for some blood types the range has only dropped to around 1.5 days. This has fatal consequences because blood preparations do not last long and cannot be produced in stock.
Acute dangers to patient care
The situation is alarming. DRK spokesman Markus Baulke warns that if populations continue to decline, planned treatments will have to be postponed. While some hospitals in the region, such as the Evangelical Hospital Oldenburg and the Pius Hospital Oldenburg, report adequate care, the picture is different in other facilities. In the Leer Clinic, for example, the stock of blood supplies is scarce, but still sufficient. Nevertheless, there are urgent requests for additional blood supplies.
The combination of the corona pandemic, the flu epidemic and a general decline in the willingness to donate makes the situation even worse. Only about three percent of the eligible population actually take advantage of the opportunity to donate blood, and willingness is even lower in urban areas. In order to improve the critical situation, the DRK is appealing to healthy people to donate promptly and become life savers.
Insights into the importance of blood donation
The importance of blood donation is illustrated by stories like Gela's. Not only is she an extreme athlete and model, but she also has a dramatic story to tell a few years ago when she fell 800 meters during a photo shoot in Iceland. Gela only survived thanks to a nine-hour emergency operation and blood donations that saved her life. Your gratitude for each day is a powerful reminder of how essential blood donations are for many people.
The DRK is now intensifying its efforts on social media to attract new donors and expand the pool of active donors. The situation is tense and without rapid action, hospital care will continue to be at risk. Therefore, dear readers: Maybe now is exactly the right time to take action yourself and make an appointment to donate blood.