A+ Stock Levels Return to Normal

• New Zealand Blood Service thanks donors for their support
• The need for blood is constant, please continue to keep appointments to fulfil future demand

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is grateful to its family of lifesavers who have helped rebuild stocks after an unusual spike in demand saw A+ blood stocks drop to critical levels.

National Manager Marketing and Communications Asuka Burge says it’s thanks to the amazing response from its regular donors along with new donors rolling up their sleeves, that they’ve been able to restore stocks.

“The response from across the country has been phenomenal. We’ve had donors return to donating after time off, new donors have been booking in and people who can’t donate themselves have been encouraging others to do so.”

Although no longer at critical levels, NZBS still must collect more than 4,000 units every week to meet demand and urges everyone to keep existing appointments to donate and encourages others to book donations into May and June.

NZBS is aware of some issues with its website and app due to the surge of interest following the appeal, and the team has worked hard to fix this issue. Anyone who experienced difficulties trying to book an appointment is encouraged to try again now the issue has been resolved.

“We also heard some people were disappointed they couldn’t help with the immediate call for donors as appointment slots were booked out or our blood drives were not in their immediate area. But the demand for blood is constant and your donation is just as vital regardless of when you donate.

“Blood must be transfused within 35 days, so it is essential we have a continuous stream of donations. Please don’t think your donation is only useful when we are critically low.”

To book an appointment to donate visit nzblood.co.nz, download the App or call 0800 448 325.

New donors are encouraged to find out if they are eligible at nzblood.co.nz and then book an appointment to donate. Those who have previously been told they could not give blood due to their age or a medical condition are also asked to check the updated NZBS donor eligibility criteria, as they may now be eligible to donate following changes last November.

Donors are asked to book an appointment to donate, rather than just turning up. Appointments help manage the social distancing and flow of people in donor centres at any given time and allow NZBS to forecast supply, ensuring it is collecting enough blood types and blood products.

• Blood must be transfused within 35 days.
• Nationally, NZBS needs to collect over 4,000 donations every week to be able to meet demand.
• Face masks are mandatory for all donors to wear while visiting a donor centre or mobile drive at Traffic Light Red and Orange.
• PPE face masks are mandatory for all NZBS staff.
• Donor centres and mobile drives continue to be safe places to visit. NZBS is continuously reviewing its processes to ensure every possible precaution is taken to safeguard this.
• Booking an appointment helps NZBS manage the flow and social distancing of people in donor centres at any given time and allows NZBS to forecast supply, ensuring it is collecting enough blood types and blood products.
• If a donor needs to reschedule an appointment, please let NZBS know by calling ahead of time. This will allow time for the appointment slot to be re-booked.

For more information on donating blood during COVID-19, visit https://www.nzblood.co.nz/give-blood/covid-19-updates/. Or to book an appointment to donate download the NZBS Donor App, visit www.nzblood.co.nz or call 0800 448 325.

About New Zealand Blood Service:

New Zealand Blood Service in a not-for-profit Crown entity responsible for the collection, processing, testing and storage and distribution of all blood and blood products in New Zealand. 

We rely on voluntary and non-remunerated blood donations from individuals around the country in order to provide a constant supply of precious blood and blood products used by our health services to save thousands of lives.

For more information, please contact:

Asuka Burge, New Zealand Blood Service, (09) 523 6486, 027 272 6437  

Asuka.burge@nzblood.co.nz

Sandy Trigg, Network Communication, (09) 306 5811, 021 231 9406

Sandy.trigg@networkcommunication.co.nz