Canadian Blood Services seeks donors as supply falls nearly 20 per cent

Canadian Blood Services is urging people across Canada to book donations after the blood supply fell by nearly 20 per cent since June 1, a decline it says is greater than the usual summer slowdown.

The agency needs about 18,000 appointments each week to meet hospital demand in the provinces it serves, but says it has been short between 1,500 and 2,500 appointments weekly. All blood types are needed, and fewer appointments than expected have been booked in every province outside Quebec.

Ron Vezina, a Canadian Blood Services spokesperson, said donated blood has a shelf life of only 42 days and quickly reaches patients. The organization is concerned that trauma and other urgent-care needs could increase over the August long weekend.

Canadian Blood Services has added weekend appointments and says several plasma-only donor centres will accept whole-blood donations. Appointments can be booked at blood.ca, through the GiveBlood app or by calling 1-888-2-DONATE.

Quebec's blood system is managed separately by Héma-Québec, which also reports a decline in donations since late June. It says it needs about 1,000 donations a day; appointments are available through hemaquebec.ca.