Blood donation rebounding, but still below pre-pandemic levels

With peak pandemic days now in the past, blood donations are rebounding in South Korea, though donations have yet to reach pre-COVID levels, according to the Korean Red Cross on Wednesday, which is also World Blood Donor Day.

This year’s donations are up 5 percent from the corresponding period in 2022, recording a total of 1,014,000 as of May this year.

The blood bank’s website shows that on Wednesday, it has 6.5 days’ worth of blood supplies and that blood type O is in relatively short supply at 4.8 days.

When the supply falls below 5 days’ worth, the authorities switch to “attention” mode as per the nation’s five-stage blood supply emergency response system.

As for treated COVID-19 patients wishing to give blood, the authorities have required a 10-day suspension period since last year. This is based on the fact that the COVID-19 virus is not transmitted through blood, according to an official from the Health Ministry.

For individuals who have received COVID-19 vaccinations, the suspension period is reduced to seven days, except in cases of adverse symptoms. In such instances, an additional seven-day waiting period is required after the complete disappearance of symptoms.

In the event of new infectious diseases originating from other countries, a blood management committee convened by the Health Ministry will decide on blood donation-related matters.