Blood supply hits warning levels in various localities across China due to temp drop amid surge in respiratory diseases

Due to continuous rain and snowfall combined with drastic temperature drops, and a peak in respiratory diseases, the number of blood donors has significantly decreased in multiple cities across China, posing serious challenge for blood banks in ensuring sufficient blood supply in a number of localities.

The central blood station in Yuncheng, North China's Shanxi Province, which accommodates more than 4.7 million people, issued an appeal on Friday calling on residents aged between 18 and 55 to actively donate blood, as the city needs at least 220 voluntary blood donations per day to meet basic clinical demand.

The appeal noted that because of the recent rainy and snowy weather, as well as the high incidence of respiratory diseases, the number of blood donations in the city has significantly dropped. Many blood banks are facing emergency level blood supplies.

Yuncheng is not alone in facing a shortfall in blood donors. The central blood station in Weifang, a city of East China's Shandong Province, is also under stress, while appealing to the public that they need a minimum of 400 blood donations per day to meet the clinical demand for blood, including for patients suffering from traumatic bleeding, postpartum hemorrhage, burns, surgical procedures, and other situations.

Winter is the peak season for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which lead to a surge in clinical demand for blood. Another populous city in China, Xinxiang in Central China's Henan Province called for urgent support after the city's blood inventory fell below a designated warning line, which local officials said severely affected the proper medical treatment for clinical patients and posed a threat to public health security.

At least six other localities across China have issued similar notices to call attention to the issue, based on Global Times analysis.