A man donating blood (archive photo) Photo: born
From BZ/dpa
At the start of the summer holidays in Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony, the German Red Cross (DRK) called on people to donate blood again before the holiday.
“The summer holidays are longer than the shelf life of a blood unit,” said Kerstin Schweiger, spokeswoman for the DRK blood donation service in the north-east of the German Press Agency. Depending on the preparation, the shelf life is five days to six weeks.
According to Schweiger, fewer people donate blood during the holiday season and when it is hot – but the supply situation in the three countries is stable, the supplies would last five days.
There are currently no bottlenecks, but they are possible at any time. It is important that donations continue to be made on a regular basis. For a seamless supply, 600 blood donations are required every working day in Berlin and Brandenburg – in Saxony 650, said Schweiger.