COVID-19 Blood Supply Crisis, Reluctance to Donate Blood Amid Infectious Disease Spread
Blood Management Headquarters "Deep Gratitude for the 'Blood Donation Miracle' in Crisis Situations"
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Members of a religious group are drawing attention by conducting a 'record-breaking' group blood donation campaign during a time of difficult blood supply.
The records are especially noteworthy as they come during the spread of infectious diseases when people tend to avoid blood donation.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus believers are continuing their blood donation efforts to overcome the severe blood shortage crisis worsened by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon hearing about the serious domestic blood supply crisis, the church launched a nationwide 'LifeON' blood donation event starting on the 18th.
The goal was set at 6,000 donors nationwide, but the target was surpassed within three days, and the campaign will continue until the end of this month.
The Busan Jacob Branch Busan Church and the Andrew Branch Andrew Church of this church announced on the 21st that they achieved about 650 blood donations over three days.
From the 18th, blood donation buses and blood donation centers in Busan city hosted the campaign, with about 330 donors from Busan Church and about 300 from Andrew Church participating over three days.
This campaign is a collaboration between Shincheonji Church of Jesus and the Korean Red Cross to overcome the national blood supply crisis caused by COVID-19 and to help secure a stable blood supply under the slogan 'LifeON'.
According to the church, on the 18th, branch leaders, senior members, and church workers participated in blood donation, and healthy eligible donors will be selected and participate until the 23rd.
If this trend continues, it is expected that about 700 members from each church, totaling approximately 1,400 believers, will participate. After donation, donation certificates and blood donation card donation events will also be held.
Kim Il-gon, leader of the Andrew Branch, said, "As COVID-19 has prolonged, I heard that blood is insufficient and transfusions are not being properly administered. As a member of the public, I joined to help my neighbors." He added, "We held the 'LifeON' event to practice Jesus' teaching to 'love your neighbor.'"
Park Han-sol (male, in his 20s), who participated in the event, said, "I hope the life-giving blood will be delivered to those who really need it," and added, "I hope many people join in saving lives through this precious act of giving life."
Choi Jong-hoon (male, in his 20s), who visited a blood donation center, said, "I saw on TV that blood is very scarce and wanted to help even in a small way, so I participated."
Shincheonji Church of Jesus announced that all 12 branches nationwide participated in blood donation and achieved the overall target of 6,000 donors within three days.
According to the Korean Red Cross Blood Management Headquarters, about 2,000 people donated blood on the first day of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus blood donation service starting on the 18th, and more than 6,000 donors completed donations within three days, surpassing the target.
The church plans to continue the blood donation service until the end of this month as scheduled, despite having reached the goal, to help resolve the blood shortage crisis.
The 6,000 donations exceed the national average daily blood donation volume of 5,400 by a large margin. This is a record-breaking amount of blood donation achieved by a single organization in a short period.
The Korean Red Cross Blood Management Headquarters stated, "Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the blood supply has continuously decreased, and recently, due to the surge in confirmed cases caused by Omicron, the number of ineligible donors has increased, putting the blood supply in an emergency situation."
A Red Cross official expressed gratitude, saying, "Having more than 6,000 people participate in blood donation in a short period will greatly help restore the medical system."
The church reported that about 8,500 members visited the site during the group blood donation campaign period, and among them, about 6,000 donated blood. Some donors have donated more than 500 times to date.
In 2020, the church also participated in overcoming the crisis by having about 6,000 members donate plasma collectively to support the development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.
Plasma has been used for treatment development and virus research and is currently known to be utilized for the development and distribution of national standard materials for clinical trials of domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines.
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