Chennai: COVID-19 has disrupted the day-to-day life of tens of thousands of people around us. The series of waves and the fast spread of this disease created panic not just with the layman but also among the real-time heroes, the blood donors. COVID also created new myths and beliefs on blood donation among blood donors.
Blood must come from generous donors as it cannot be manufactured in laboratories or factories. To keep the volunteering tradition alive, to encourage the donors to donate blood and dispel the myths and beliefs of blood donation during COVID, Fortis Hospital has organized a blood donation drive along with cinema celebrities Anjali Rao (Actress), Praveen Saravanan (Film Maker), Suresh Ravi (Actor, Producer), Ranjith Manikandan (Film Director) and Sanjay Pandey (Zonal Director, Fortis).
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sanjay Pandey, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Vadapalani said that ‘COVID has impacted the blood banks’ reserve across regions. Voluntary blood donation has affected the national blood supply due to COVID-19; also, the blood donation drive has plunged by 20 percent in the state during the pandemic. As per WHO, any country needs 1 percent of its population to donate blood to meet the country’s transfusion need. In India, there is always a shortage of 1m units. To eliminate this shortage, we need to encourage India’s youth population to donate blood. A person recovered from COVID can donate blood after 28 days of his/her isolation or test negative after treatment, and a vaccinated person can donate 14 days after vaccination.’
Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Shanmuga Priya, Consultant – Transfusion Medicine, Fortis Hospital said that ‘when the number of people affected by COVID infection during the second wave are high, the demand for blood for surgeries is also not reduced. Though road accidents drastically declined during the lockdown, pregnant women, Thalassemia and cancer patients need blood. When the first and second waves impacted the blood reserve and donation, the third wave is in the pipeline. The blood donation camps are also not being conducted frequently now due to COVID limitations. Students, youth, NGOs who are the main donors of blood are also locked within their locality. The initiative of this kind by Fortis Hospital will encourage the donors to come forward to donate blood,’ she said.
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