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
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
N.L. gardening store revives 19th century seed-packing machine
Technology from the 19th century has been brought out of retirement at a Newfoundland gardening store, as staff look for all the help they can get to fill orders during a busy season.