In order to replenish and to ensure supply, the DRK Blood Donation Service West needs up to 3,500 blood donations per day. However, this number cannot be reached, Küpper says. "We are short 400 donors a day," he explains. If it weren’t for the Coronavirus, 3400 people in the DRK West area would donate blood every day. Among the donors are many employees of companies where the DRK organises blood donation sessions. Due to the pandemic, many employees are working from home. They can’t be reached and so they can’t donate.

Johannes Oldenburg, Director of the Institute for External Haematology and Transfusion Medicine at the University of Bonn (UKB), reports that they can partially compensate for the DRK supply cuts with their own blood donations. But the UKB blood donation service has also noticed a decline in the number of donors. For example, 40 per cent of the blood samples with red blood cells (erythrocyte samples) come from their own source and 60 per cent from outside, in particular from the German Red Cross. In the event of bottlenecks, other blood donors from all over Germany support the UKB, and the DRK has an emergency unit, according to Oldenburg. This means that operations don’t have to be cancelled, but doctors are instructed to use the blood very carefully.

But it wouldn’t help if everyone donated at once, Oldenburg warns, because the blood can only be preserved for up to six weeks. In addition, because of social distancing, the number of people inside the rooms of the blood donation service is restricted. For this reason, the UKB offers appointments via app. It is important that the appointments are fully utilised and that the blood donation rate is kept high throughout the year, stresses Oldenburg. Donations from the people with the universal blood group type O negative are most urgently needed.

A similar decrease in the number of blood donations has also been noticed at the Helios Clinic Bonn/Rhein-Sieg, reports press officer Christina Fuhrmann. But the hospital’s blood bank is filled with all the necessary blood samples. In case of bottlenecks, the facility is additionally supported by the Helios network. Fuhrmann also explains that the decline in blood donations is linked to the admission restrictions for donors. People who have been infected with the Corona virus are allowed to donate blood again at the earliest four weeks after the infection. Dorothea Adams, head of the GFO Bonn (Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft der Franziskanerinnen zu Olpe), says that the number of conserves has been low over the course of this year. However, patient care has been ensured and there are no restrictions on necessary operations.

Christina Becher is donating her blood at the UKB for the second time this year. "For me, donating blood has only advantages. You get a blood check and you get breakfast to reimburse your expenses," she says. 500 millilitres have been taken from her, from which 300 millilitres of erythrocyte concentrate are produced, explains Oldenburg. Every year, around 30,000 erythrocyte concentrates are needed at the UKB. 12,000 to 15,000 are for emergencies, such as a serious accidents or major operations. A liver transplantation, for example, can require between 50 and 100 blood transfusions. According to the German Red Cross, there were enough blood donations at the beginning of the year. The shortage started in spring and summer.

Originaltext: Sandra Hadenfeldt

Translation: Jean Lennox