WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti says governments
should roll out incentives that promote the donation of safe blood amid
shortages of the commodity during Covid-19 pandemic. PHOTO | FILE |
NATION MEDIA GROUP
Nairobi,
Countries
must invest in robust infrastructure and public awareness campaigns to
boost donation of safe blood and strengthen the response to the Covid-19
pandemic, a senior World Health Organisation (WHO) official said on
Sunday during the World Blood Donor Day.
WHO
Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said that governments
should roll out incentives that promote the donation of safe blood amid
shortages of the commodity during Covid-19 pandemic.
"In
the Covid-19 pandemic, the supply of safe blood is at risk. Regular
blood donation drives are being postponed, and stay-at-home orders and
fear of infection are preventing donors from ac-cessing services," said
Moeti.
According to Moeti, the
disruptions to the global supply chain linked to the disease have
already worsened the shortage of equipment required to facilitate blood
donation and transfusion.
RECOVERED PATIENTS
Moeti said that the use of blood plasma from
patients who had recovered from Covid-19 to minimise severity of the
disease to those infected reaffirmed the need for countries to have an
adequate supply of the commodity.
She
hailed efforts by African countries to ramp up blood donation in order
to support the use of plasma in the treatment of Covid-19 amid a spike
in the number of cases in the continent.
"In
Mauritius, 150 people who have recovered from Covid-19 have indicated
they are willing to give plasma in line with the national decision to
use serum plasma therapy for Covid-19 patients in intensive care," said
Moeti.
She said the pandemic presents
African countries with an opportunity to improve their national blood
donation services and ensure they collect, process and store Covid-19
convalescent plasma in a safe manner.
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