MDA Increases Blood Drive Activity

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Due to a growing number of citizens in home isolation that are unable to donate blood and in order to prevent a national blood shortage, MDA blood services has decided to conduct multiple special blood drives today (Saturday) at the following locations: Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, laqiyaa, Fassuta, Gatt, Qalansuwa, Kfar Kanna, Sajur, Arraba, and after Shabbat ends there will be drives also in Jerusalem, Ashdod and Haifa.

These blood drives started at 11 a.m. and will continue in some of the locations late into the night. All blood drives are being conducted in accordance with ministry of health regulations aimed at preventing  infection with the coronavirus.

Additional locations and times of blood drives can be found on the Magen David Adom website via https://www.mdais.org/blood-donation or on the “My MDA” app.

Following a special meeting in coordination with MDA’s Director General and the CEO of the Ministry of Health, MDA Blood Services have been instructed to significantly increase blood drives in Israel as part of preparation for a situation where many citizens will be unable to donate blood because of home isolation.

MDA Blood Services reminds you that anybody who was abroad, in contact with a verified Corona patient or contracted the coronavirus anytime in the past twenty-eight days cannot donate blood.

Director of MDA Blood Services Prof Eilat Shinar explains: ” increasing the available stock of available blood units is first and foremost dependent on harvesting thousands of new fresh units that can be used up to 42 days from the donation date.’

“In addition MDA blood services are preparing to freeze hundreds of blood units that can be used up to 10 years from when they were donated.’

“In this fashion we plan on allowing ongoing and continuous supply of blood units to hospitals across Israel while preserving the safety of recipients of the blood units.’

“It is important to state that there is no fear of contracting the coronavirus while donating blood both from the side of the blood donors and the blood recipients”

MDA Director General, Eli Bin added:” MDA blood services takes no risks, every person that was abroad or in contact with a Corona patient, and of course everybody in home isolation are not allowed to donate blood.’

Therefore we are working to significantly increase the stock of available blood units in Israel so that at no stage will there be a shortage of units. I thank MDA blood services Director Professor Eilat Shinar and blood donors and volunteers across Israel.”

In addition to increasing the available stock of blood units, MDA is taking steps in preparation to harvest plasma from people that have been cured from the coronavirus.

These plasma units will contain a large amount of antibodies of the virus and will be part of treatment of patient suffering from severe symptoms following infection by the coronavirus.