Canadian Blood Services seeing ‘very drastic dip’ in blood donations locally
Canadian Blood Services in Kitchener-Waterloo are making a plea to the public after they say donations dried up following a surge over the holidays.
Edward Fulton said he donates every couple of months.
“The reason I do it is my mom needed a lot of blood because she had progressive leukemia so she asked if family would do it. So I started ever since, so [2007],” said Fulton.
Repeat donors make up only a small portion Canadian Blood Services receives.
“Typically where we get a huge bulk of our donors from each year is new donors. So this comes from secondary and post-secondary schools, which we unfortunately have not been able to return to,” said Gina Leyva with Canadian Blood Services.
The organization said they rely heavily on mobile clinics with the location on Bridgeport Road in Waterloo being their only permanent spot in the Tri-cities.
Due to the pandemic, the mobile clinics have not returned to schools, as many students are studying online.
This is cause for concern, according to local clinic staff.
“Just after the holiday period, we saw a very drastic dip in blood donations,” admitted Leyva.
There are still about 250 appointments available next week. That’s half of the number of appointments they can accommodate.
“And for me, locally, I haven't seen a number like that in many months,” said Leyva.
Canadian Blood Services said they need more donations to carry them through the rest of the winter.
They’re grateful for donors like Sara Flamenco Martinez.
“I'm a nursing student as well so I get an idea of being out there in the field. I see people with blood transfusions – just the necessity for that,” said Flamenco Martinez. “It's just really unfortunate and I wonder why people aren't coming out.”
While local Canadian Blood Services staff said they have a big mountain to climb, they're hopeful they can get there because it just takes a bit of blood and a bit of time to save a life.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.