Blood donations lagging this summer
As trips to the cottage and family vacations peak during the summer, blood donations drop dramatically.
It’s a challenge Canadian
Blood Services faces year after year, and this summer is no exception.
The city’s blood donor clinic on George St. is currently looking to fill more than 700 spots before the end of July.
In June, the clinic fell short of its collection goal by 20 per cent.
Yet the need for blood remains in high demand, particularly O-negative.
Debbi Barfoot, territory manager for Canadian Blood Services, said O-negative is the universal blood donor type.
It’s the only kind of blood that’s compatible with all other blood types and it’s used in emergencies when there’s no time to test for blood type.
Blood donations typically decline during the summer and over the Christmas holidays, Barfoot said.
But on average, Peterborough’s donations are down year after year.
That’s often because older donors are retiring from giving blood, Barfoot said.
“We need to replace those donors with new blood donors. We need to the younger people involved,” she said.
One in two Canadians are eligible to donate blood, but only 4 per cent of Canadians do.
Men can donate every 56 days and women can give every 84.
Thankfully, Barfoot said the city’s clinic sees many regular donors on a consistent basis.
It’s still not enough to keep up with the demand though, especially when blood has a limited shelf life. Platelets are only good for seven days.