Blood donation during pandemic safe – Minister Anthony
Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Frank Anthony says the public should donate blood to the National Blood Transfusion Service (blood bank) to ensure there is an adequate supply for emergencies.
Guyana observed World Blood Donor Day 2021 on Monday.
“One of the things we really need is blood, so that persons who require surgery and persons who require emergency surgery, that they oftentimes require blood and if it’s not in adequate supplies, then we can lose that patient, so we want to appeal to persons to come out and donate blood.”
During his COVID-19 update on Monday, the Minister also encouraged persons to join the blood donors’ club, which encourages frequent donations.
He said the blood bank hopes to collect approximately 13,000 units of blood this year.
The Minister also said blood donation during the COVID-19 pandemic is safe, as Covid is not a blood-borne disease. Donation sites are also implementing the gazetted COVID-19 measures.
“Because of the way that transmission occurs by blood, getting Covid from the blood, that’s highly unlikely. So, in that way, people don’t have to be fearful of that because when you come to donate blood, we have taken all infection protocols.
So, if you come to any one of our donation sites, we will be observing all the protocols for COVID-19 which means that you will not be able to get Covid nor or anybody in the unit would be able to contract it,” he said.
Therefore, those who have received the Covid vaccine would be allowed to donate blood.
“I just want to encourage everyone who was healthy enough to come out and donate blood because as you know, blood can save lives of people, and we want to have adequate amount of blood in our blood bank so that those who require it can have access to it.”
Advisor to the Minister of Health, Dr, Leslie Ramsammy expressed similar sentiments. He noted that Guyana has been celebrating blood donors’ day long before it was globally recognised.
Dr. Ramsammy made that statement during an award ceremony to recognise blood donors and organisations that have supported the facility during the pandemic. He said Guyana has been receiving blood donations from volunteers at a level four times higher than those of the low-income countries.
“And in terms of middle-income countries, we are donating blood at the level of the high-income countries. We have made progress since 2001.
And whilst we celebrate that fact… we use today to say thank you to all those who have become donors in our country, and we acknowledge their generosity.
Director of the National Blood Transfusion Service Dr. Pedro Lewis said approximately 78 per cent of the voluntary blood donations are repetitive, which is one of the highest level of donations of this kind in Latin America and the Caribbean.