Donate blood before getting vaccinated, doc tells Hoshiarpur youth

Hoshiarpur, April 28

Dr Ajay Bagga, Patron of the Punjab Chapter of the India Society of Blood Transfusion, and Dr Dayal Saroop an expert in blood transfusion services have urged the youth to donate blood before getting vaccinated. They said more than 70 per cent of the blood in blood centres comes from people between the age of 18 to 45 years.

To curb the spread of Covid pandemic, the Government of India had decided to vaccinate all above 18 years of age from May 1. Two doses of the vaccine are to be administered at a fixed interval, which previously was 28 days and now is four to six weeks.

“Since there are two doses of the vaccine and after taking the second dose, those willing to donate blood can do so only after 28 days. This will lead to further shortage of blood in centres and patients of thalassemia, haemophilia, cancer and kidney failures, which are dependent on regular blood transfusion, will have to suffer,” they said.

Dr Bagga and Dr Saroop further said due to the pandemic, very few blood donation camps could be organised, also there was a fall in number of college-going student donors as educational institutes had been shut. Regular voluntary blood donors too are not showing up with the same enthusiasm as earlier.

They appealed to the government to create awareness among youth for donating blood before getting inoculated. — OC