Plasma donors desperately needed in the north and beyond
The Sudbury Plasma Donor Centre, which just celebrated its two-year anniversary, is not seeing the same number of donors come through its doors.
The number of donors of blood, plasma, and platelets across Canada is the lowest it’s been in 10 years.
Canadian Blood Services said it’s seen a steady decrease in donors since July 1, and there are 31,000 fewer donors than they have had in the last decade.
"So the need is great -- the need is now,” said Teri-Mai Armstrong, business development manager at Canadian Blood Services.
Armstrong said there are a variety of reasons why people are not donating as much during the summer months.
“No. 1, COVID was such a hard thing on so many organizations, Canadian Blood Services being the same," she said.
"People were falling ill, unable to come out, and told not to come out and now things are sort of post-COVID and people have no travel restrictions. They’re ready to go. So, really that’s a big part of it, too."
Armstrong said the recent national outage of telecoms systems caused them to lose many appointments.
"That hit us hard across the nation,” she said.
Armstrong said she is thankful for the Sudbury donors who come in on a regular basis.
One of those is Kevin Reed who said he tries to donate as often as he can and has just made his 60th plasma donation.
"I started when I was a teenager and it was something my parents did," he said.
"Since Sudbury converted into plasma donation, I’ve just continued along with Canadian Blood Services … I know I’ve seen the advertisements that there is a big shortage, but I think it’s just, it’s in you to give, so I just try to be a regular donor at all times."
Amanda Rousseau said she has donated blood multiple times over the years, but just decided to donate plasma for the first time.
"I used to donate blood, but I hadn’t done it for a while and then COVID hit and I had kind of gotten out of it again," Rousseau said.
"So, I had been hearing a little bit about it in the news and then I have a couple good friends who donate regularly, so it was a good reminder to come out and do my part."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.