Blood banks in Taiwan are running critically short on blood. Healthcare officials say fewer people donated in December due to the unusually cold weather.
Outside, the sun is shining. But inside NTU Hospital, Taiwan’s low reserves of blood have put Dr. Lo Shyh-Chyi in a gloomy mood.
He says doctors are extremely worried. If the situation continues, one patient needing urgent surgery could be all it takes to use up the hospital’s blood supply.
Normally bustling blood donation centres are empty. And Taiwan Blood Services Foundation’s Hung Ying-sheng thinks the recent cold weather front might have something to do with it.
Supplies are critically low, he says. Blood banks in Taipei and Kaohsiung have less than four days left in reserve. That’s partly because donations in December were 3,000 units lower than expected. Hong says the recent cold weather front stopped many people from coming to donate.
Healthcare officials consider anything less than a four-day supply to be critically low. At the moment, Taiwan has five and a half days’ worth of blood type B, around four days for types A and AB, and just 3.8 days for type O. Taipei and Hsinchu Cities are running especially low.
Authorities are urging people to come forward and donate. They say anyone in good health and wearing a mask can do their part to help.