Domestic supplies of type A and O blood remain low, especially type O, with nationwide reserves enough for only about 4.6 days, the Taiwan Blood Service Foundation (TBSF) said yesterday, adding that in Taichung, the supply for type O is even lower at just 2.9 days, constituting a critical shortage.
TBSF Director of Public Relations Wang Hsuan-hui (王萱慧) said that supplies of type A and O blood had already been low. Even though donations have slightly increased recently with better weather, previous shortfalls have not been fully made up, and overall blood reserves have yet to return to safe levels.
Type O blood in central Taiwan, in particular, has been persistently low, she said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Blood safety standards call for reserves of seven to 10 days. Stocks of four to seven days are considered low, while anything under four days is deemed critically short.
According to the foundation, nationwide blood supplies average 6.2 days, remaining in the low range, with types O and A the scarcest. Regional type O blood supplies stand at 5.3 days in Taipei, 6.6 days in Hsinchu, 4.4 days in Kaohsiung and 2.9 days in Taichung — the lowest in the country.
Wang said that although blood can be shared through the national mutual aid system, low reserves across most regions limit how much can be redistributed, and each center must still prioritize maintaining basic safety levels.
With the four-day Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday approaching, blood supplies are typically strained before and after the long weekend, she said, adding that holiday travel reduces donations, and people returning from traveling overseas must temporarily postpone giving blood, further tightening the supply.
The foundation urges the public to take advantage of the time before the long holiday to donate blood, especially those with type A and O blood, to help fill the shortage.
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