The Taiwan Blood Services Foundation yesterday called for blood donations, saying that blood type inventories across the nation are low, with only about five days worth of type A and type O blood remaining, which is below the safe threshold.
As the weather turns colder, blood donations generally decrease, foundation public relations director Li Lei (黎蕾) said.
At the same time, patients’ demand for blood increases, creating an imbalance of “less donation, more usage,” which leads to shrinking blood supply, she said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The overall blood supply in Taiwan is sufficient for only six days, with type A blood at about 5.4 days and type O blood at about 5.3 days, both of which are considered low levels, the foundation said.
The shortage is more severe in central Taiwan, it said, adding that in Taichung, type A blood is down to 3.6 days, and type O blood is at 3.9 days, classified as an urgent shortage.
The foundation said it is reallocating supplies, with other regions providing support to meet short-term demand.
Photo courtesy of the Shei-Pa National Park
Li said that generally, blood supply of less than seven days is considered a warning level, and if it drops below four days, it becomes an emergency.
There is a large deficit in the supply as another cold front approaches, Li said.
According to Li, Taiwan uses approximately 7,000 units of blood daily, but the current stock is about two days below safe levels, a shortfall of about 14,000 units.
Alongside maintaining the daily basic blood donations, extra efforts are needed to fill the deficit so that the stock can gradually stabilize, she said.
The foundation is calling on the public to donate blood despite cold weather, especially people with type A and type O blood, to help stabilize the supply.
In related news, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a continental cold mass brought cold temperatures and up to 9cm of snow to the nation’s highest mountain, Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山), yesterday.
The CWA’s weather monitoring station on 3,952m Yushan recorded temperatures as low as minus-5.3°C, leading to snow.
The snow started falling early yesterday morning and stopped at about 6am, leaving an accumulation of 1.5cm on the mountain, the CWA said.
Elsewhere, 9cm of snow accumulated on 3,422m Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, according to the Forest and Nature Conservation Agency.
In low-lying areas, the lowest temperatures recorded across Taiwan early yesterday morning were 12.1°C in Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西) and 12.2°C in New Taipei City’s Shimen District (石門), according to CWA data.
Citing a model from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said the worst of the current cold air mass has passed, with milder seasonal northeasterly winds expected to move in on Tuesday.
Wu said another cold front should arrive in Taiwan on Thursday, New Year’s Day, and could strengthen into another continental cold air mass.
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