Blood donations remain low, warns SANBS
SANBS has appealed to healthy, eligible blood donors to donate and help prevent blood shortages.
THE South African National Blood Service (SANBS) said their blood stocks are still low despite the extraordinary response from generous regular donors who have heeded their calls for support.
Chief Operations Officer, Ravi Reddy said the shortage of blood is caused by the scarcity of mobile blood drive venues.
He said as the country continues to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for blood products is rapidly starting to increase.
Also read: Pack away your blue suede shoes, uMhlanga Elvis show postponed
“Covid-19 restrictions have severely limited our ability to collect adequate blood stocks, particularly because we are not able to access schools, colleges and corporates for blood drives,” he said.
Reddy said South Africans who are unable to donate, due to medical or other reasons, can assist by encouraging family and friends.
Also read: Litter piles up at Blue Lagoon
“In our networks of friends, families and colleagues there will always be someone who is able to donate blood. Every donation makes a difference,” he said.
Visit the SANBS website to book a mobile blood drive or to find out more information. Alternatively contact their call centre on 0800 11 9031.
Caxton Local Media Covid-19 reporting
Dear reader, As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19. Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za). At the time of going to press, the contents of this feature mirrored South Africa’s lockdown regulations.
You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. 
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
