Earlier it was reported that the stock in the blood banks of Maharashtra would last for 15 to 20 days. However, due to a fall in blood collection, the stock is likely to last only for a week.
As per the State Blood Transfusion Council (SBTC), the lack of blood is due to fewer people donating the same as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, as a result of the subsequent lockdowns, operations in schools and offices have been halted which has affected the process of blood donation.
Last week Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) had issued a public appeal to seek donors after seeing a fall in blood donations. Speaking about the same, Assistant Director of SBTC, Dr Arun Thorat, said that the blood banks usually preserve stocks for up to 20 days. However, right now, they have around 25,500 units of blood, which can last for a week. In addition, he stated that they have seen fluctuations in the blood collection graph since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He further added that they are appealing to religious and social organizations to hold blood donation camps while following the COVID-19 guidelines. Hospitals can not store blood for a longer time since their shelf life is of 35 days. As per reports, Maharashtra uses around 3,000 to 4,000 bags of blood daily.
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