Donations for Canadian Blood Services have continued to fall since July, and now the organization is worried it won't meet its target for August.
There are currently 57,000 open appointments across Canada that need to be filled before the end of August in order to meet their target. In Guelph alone, there are still more than 400 open appointments for the month.
"Summer is always a challenging time for collections, and this is the first summer since 2019 where there are no (or) very few restrictions on travel and activities. People are enjoying the return to pre-pandemic activities and summer travel, leaving them with less time to donate," said Gina Leyva, community development manager with Canadian Blood Services.
"In addition, ongoing isolation requirements related to COVID-19 and fewer opportunities to recruit at in-person events is contributing to fewer donors in our centres," she said.
The organization removed their mask mandate on July 25. However, Leyva said donors, staff, visitors and volunteers are all still encouraged to wear them.
They are urging donors from all blood groups to book appointments as soon as possible, or over the next few weeks leading up to Labour Day and into September.
