Southern Blood Bank Alerts: O-Type Supply Drops to Just 2.9 Days, Urging Public to Donate Blood

(Central News Agency reporter Lin Chiao-Lien, Kaohsiung, June 17) Southern Taiwan has experienced continuous heavy rains, reducing public willingness to go outdoors and significantly impacting blood donation volumes. The Kaohsiung Blood Center announced today that blood collections in southern regions have fallen nearly 6,000 units short of expectations over the past two weeks, with overall blood inventory dropping to just 4.4 days—O-type blood at only 2.9 days. The center is urging the public to actively roll up their sleeves and donate blood.

The Taiwan Blood Services Foundation states that a safe blood inventory level is 7 to 10 days, 4 to 7 days is considered low, and below 4 days is critically insufficient.

The Kaohsiung Blood Center notes that southern Taiwan requires approximately 1,900 blood units daily for medical use, relying on consistent contributions from regular donors and the general public. However, recent continuous rainfall has significantly reduced donor turnout at fixed donation stations, blood donation rooms, and mobile blood drives, causing a sharp decline in blood collection.

Statistics show that, as of noon today, the overall blood inventory in southern Taiwan stands at only 4.4 days, with O-type blood at a critical 2.9 days. Supplies of other blood types are also steadily declining. The center warns that if medical demand cannot be met in the short term, it may disrupt hospital transfusion scheduling, adversely affecting surgical patients, major trauma cases, and patients requiring long-term blood transfusions.

Affected by the frontal system and southwest airflow, southern Taiwan has faced unstable weather in recent days, leading to blood shortages. The Kaohsiung Blood Center issued a press release stating that medical blood inventories in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Penghu, and Taitung continue to decline. O-type blood inventory has dropped to just 2.9 days, triggering a red alert. With weather stabilizing from today, the public is encouraged to take advantage of clearer conditions and actively donate blood.

The Kaohsiung Blood Center explains that blood cannot be stored long-term, so continuous and stable collection across all blood types is essential to maintain normal healthcare operations. Anyone in good health, without symptoms such as colds, medication use, or injections in the past two weeks, is eligible to donate. The center appeals to the public to generously donate blood. (Editor: Huang Ming-Hsi) 1150617