Blood bank appeals for urgent donations

The blood bank on Friday appealed to the public to donate blood as reserves are close to being “dangerously low”.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, senior official at the blood bank, Androulla Panayiotou, said that due to the low turnout of donors during the holiday period, the reserves were running out.

She called on the public to donate blood before leaving for holidays, so as to ensure blood bank reserves remained at a safe level.

Demand for blood is non-stop as the number of surgeries has not diminished, and the number of car accidents has actually increased, meaning more blood is required.

Panayiotou explained 300 vials of blood are needed per day, but “unfortunately these days we can’t meet those needs.”

Next week is looking to be even more challenging, due to the upcoming holiday period.

Every day, around 220 individuals donate blood, with Panayiotou thanking them for their help.

She urged the public to check the blood bank website so as to stay up to date on donation points across the country.