Australian Red Cross Lifeblood has issued an immediate call for Hunter donors as its reserves of most blood types drop to critical levels.
Without a significant boost in people donating, Lifeblood says its supplies will soon be at their lowest level this year.
The current demand for blood is extremely high and the current level of donations is struggling to keep up with this high demand.
While some stock is also held in hospitals, Lifeblood says it needs 1,200 people donating every day in the coming week to meet the needs of patients.
Lifeblood Executive Director of Donor Experience, Cath Stone has urged both new donors and those who haven’t donated for some time to donate now.
She said fewer than 3 per cent of the population donated blood regularly, yet more than 58 per cent are eligible to donate. That means there are about 10 million more people who could donate today, but don’t.