Catalan blood bank kicks off donation drive

Catalonia’s Banc de Sang i Teixits blood bank has kicked off an 8-day blood donation drive with the goal of attracting at least 10,000 donors. 

According to the blood bank, reserves decreased by 25% over the holiday period, for which the new campaign strives to bring stock levels back up, with the blood bank’s website showing exactly which blood types are most needed.

So far, some 1,200 people have already committed to donating blood, but many more will have to step up if the Banc de Sang i Teixits to meet its ambitious target.

A makeshift donation site has been set up in the center of Barcelona, at Plaça Catalunya, which will be up and running until Saturday, but people can also make their way to any major Catalan hospital to donate blood. 

Donors need not be residents - a valid ID, passport or driver’s license will suffice - and while almost any 18-to-70-year-old weighing more than 50 kg (110 Ibs) can donate, there are still a few restrictions.

For example, anyone who has gotten a tattoo in the past 4 months cannot be a donor, nor can someone who has an infectious disease, who has recently traveled somewhere with frequent Malaria outbreaks or someone who has lived in the United Kingdom for more than a year between 1980 and 1996, among a few others.