World Blood Donor Day: Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides

Met dank overgenomen van Europese Commissie (EC) i, gepubliceerd op zaterdag 13 juni 2020.

This Sunday, on World Blood donor Day, I want to pay tribute to everyone who donates blood and blood plasma, and express my gratitude to people who save lives in this way.

Without your magnanimous donations transfusions, operations, and certain medicines would not be available.

Every year in the EU i, some 25 million blood transfusions are used in a range of life-saving surgeries. Additionally, around 8 million litres of donated blood plasma are used to make life-saving medicines for conditions such as haemophilia and to help those with immune deficiency.

This year, as we continue the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, your donations are needed more than ever.

Throughout the pandemic, we have called for blood donors to continue their essential service for our healthcare systems. It has been heart-warming to see that, despite all the difficulties, the willingness of EU citizens to donate has helped to maintain overall levels of blood supply - this is solidarity to feel great pride about.

As healthcare systems across the EU are starting to move out of lockdown measures, and elective surgery is restarting in many countries, fresh donations of blood are now needed to make sure that surgeries can go ahead. We are also in need of new donations of blood plasma, which plays an active role in the fight against COVID-19. Hospitals and blood services across the EU are using or trialling plasma donated by recovered COVID-19 patients to boost the ability of new patients to fight the virus. Companies are also developing new medicines out of this plasma. Donating plasma is therefore now more important than ever.

One thing will always remain constant: by donating blood, donors are saving lives. And for that, we will always be thankful.

For more information

COVID-19 convalescent plasma transfusion