MORE than 900 donors have participated in the ongoing blood donation campaign launched by the Department of Health (DOH) 7 and the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV).
The DOH 7 Sub-National Blood Center for Visayas currently has a total of 78 units of packed red blood cells (PRBC), nine units of platelet concentrate, 59 units of fresh frozen plasma and 68 units of emergency PRBC stocks.
As part of the ongoing blood donation campaign, 11 mobile bloodletting activities were conducted in different areas in Cebu from July 16 to July 26, 2020.
The blood donation campaign in the four barangays of Cebu’s northern town of Tabuelan last weekend recorded the highest number of donors with 566.
The DOH 7, OPAV and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 also brought the “Donate Blood! Save Lives! Be A Hero” campaign to Balamban town (27 donors), Talisay City (10), Mandaue City (116) and Lapu-Lapu City (179).
The DSWD 7 provided food packs to the blood donors.
A total of 59 personnel of the Police Regional Office 7 also supported the campaign by donating their blood.
Blood plasma
Last July 30, some 26 soldiers from the 53rd Engineer Brigade of the Philippine Army who have fully recovered from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) also volunteered to donate their blood plasma at their headquarters in Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City.
The plasma donation drive is in partnership with the DOH 7 and United Architect of the Philippines–Sugbu Chapter.
“Our soldiers and police personnel have been in the frontlines since our fight against this unseen enemy started. Some of them may have acquired the disease but they have proven their resiliency and
selflessness by heeding our call for more plasma donations after recovering from Covid-19,” said Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino.
The bloodletting campaign is in response to the rising demand for blood in the region amid the rise in the number of Covid-19 cases and the expected surge in dengue cases with the onset of the rainy season.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche of the DOH 7 said the Sub-national Blood Center’s supply is a lot better now with the active blood donation drive.
“We need to continue for the demand is great and we have to be ready at all times,” Loreche said.
The blood donation initiative has sought to collect blood units with high levels of immunoglobulin (IgG), the most common antibody present in the blood, from recovered Covid-19 patients in support to the convalescent plasma therapy for severe and critical cases of the viral disease.
OPAV has implemented initiatives to address the concerns arising from the pandemic.
These include providing free transportation to frontliners by deploying Malasakit buses and augmenting the testing capacity in the Visayas early on in the pandemic by providing PCR and automated extraction machines, extraction and detection kits, swab kits and other consumables. (WBS FROM PR)