Volunteers wait in front of the "blood lounge" to give their blood in Dakar, Senegal, July 17, 2020. As the novel coronavirus swept through Senegal, more and more doctors and patients in the West African country have come to feel one of the pains exacerbated by the pandemic --the shortage of blood supply. In May, two months after the first case was recorded here, the blood supply has started to run low, said Saliou Diop, director of National Center for Blood Transfusion (CNTS). (Photo by Louis Denga/Xinhua)
DAKAR, July 18 (Xinhua) -- As the novel coronavirus swept through Senegal, more and more doctors and patients in the West African country have come to feel one of the pains exacerbated by the pandemic --the shortage of blood supply.
In May, two months after the first case was recorded here, the blood supply has started to run low, said Saliou Diop, director of National Center for Blood Transfusion (CNTS).
"We saw a 26 percent decrease in blood donation in May because the gathering restrictions issued by the government," he said.
The number of confirmed infections in Senegal is approaching the 9,000 mark, and more than 2,500 cases are under treatment.
The worsening situation added to his worries about the blood supply, which is key to hospitals during the trying times.
"Our mobile teams, which used to move to gather blood, did not work any more during the restriction period. Now we only have about 5 days of stock," said Diop.
"Our concern is to see how the summer vacation will go. We have to keep an eye on the holidays, because it's the period when there is the least amount of donors," he added.
On Friday morning, before the afternoon traditional gatherings and prayers, a blood donation event took place in Pikine, the second most populated city in the country.
"We're going to tie the tourniquet to allow the vein to be visible. I found a vein here. Before stinging, I'll clean it up with alcohol," said Nar Fall, a young nurse with a needle in her hand.
Momoudou Saudi, a 24-year-old law student, sitting in front her, watching blood being extracted from his right arm quietly.
"There are people who need this, for example, people with burns, women suffering excessive loss of blood after delivery. If you donate your blood, you will save lives, so that's good," he said.
The room, where five nurses are working inside, has been cleared up with all tables and chairs being pushed against the wall. They said they are looking forward to 80 donors within the day, with about 40 liters of blood to be extracted in total.
"Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes we find ourselves in a certain difficulty. Despite the fact that we have made all our arrangements necessary to inform them and ensure their safety when coming to the center, people are still afraid to go to hospitals to donate blood like what they used to do," said Oumar Kane, worker of the CNTS.
In suburbs, the CNTS teams are working closely with local youngsters, associations and small NGOs to provide the much-needed stuff and recruit donors.
"It has been found that in some large hospitals, there is a shortage of blood. So we took the initiative to organize a day to help people", said Alpha Ba, a 25-year-old engineering student.
Alpha Ba set up a local association which regularly does social work around Pikine and other suburbs.
"We only want to help our community and do social work", he said.
"Giving blood is saving lives, it's a very noble act. If I could do it every 3 or 6 months, I would do it. I too am a person who may need it in the future, that's why I do it," Ba added. Enditem
