Hospitals need more blood stocks as accidents and surgeries continue to take place even during the summer break. Photo: Shutterstock

Hospitals need more blood stocks as accidents and surgeries continue to take place even during the summer break. Photo: Shutterstock

As residents leave the grand duchy in droves, Luxembourg’s hospitals are seeing their blood stocks reach dangerously low levels, the organisation shared on 3 August.

“Blood stocks are at their lowest: they currently cover only 6 days of the needs of Luxembourg hospitals,” a statement reads. Several elements contribute to this issue. For one, amongst those leaving the country are also regular and potential donors. However, “even in summer the demand for blood-derived products remains high,” says medical director of the transfusion centre Anne Schuhmacher.

In addition, donors who have been infected with the coronavirus are not able to donate for the past few months, when the infection rate picked up, as their immune systems had to recover from the virus. Those who have received the vaccine also have to wait a month before being able to offer to contribute.

The Red Cross in its statement says that anyone who is eligible should present themselves to the transfusion centre in Luxembourg City.

The act of donating blood only takes 10 minutes. For apheresis--which can be done every month--donors sit through the procedure for half an hour. All in all, the visit takes around 45 minutes as some administrative steps take place prior to the donation. First-time donors, unlike those who’ve already visited the centre, have to meet up with a doctor first to make sure they can give their blood or platelets.

Who can donate their blood? 

Donors must:

- Be between 18 and 70 years old;

- Be healthy;

- Not carry any blood-borne diseases (though donations are sampled and tested before being used);

- Wait before they donate if they have given birth (6 months), gotten a tattoo (4 months), been vaccinated for covid (1 month) or traveled abroad (when cleared by a doctor)

Since the start of 2021, donors don’t have to indicate their sexual orientation anymore, though they have to indicate if they have a new partner, or if they have had sex with a man who had sexual intercourse with another man in the twelve months prior to the donation.

Though the grand duchy does not yet have a live indicator of stock levels for each blood type, with a varied multi-ethnic population, Luxembourg needs donors of every blood type.

The transfusion centre is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays between 8am and 4pm, as well as Wednesday and Thursday from 8am to 6pm. It can be found at 42, boulevard Joseph II in Luxembourg.