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23 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A pril 2,2020 theifp.ca CASH ONLY Shelter 519.833.2287 Thrift Shop 905.702.8661 www.uppercredit.com info@uppercredit.com Charitable Registration #893738872RR0001 UCHS response to COVID-19 To keep our staff and public safe during COVID-19, we have implemented a number of changes. • Reduced hours at the shelter. Staff will be on site daily to care for the animals; • Pre-approved visits for the animals by appointment only • Closure of the UCHS Thrift Shop • Cancellation of the April rabies clinic Please visit uppercredit.com for more information and updates on our COVID-19 response. With a surge in community blood do- nor clinic cancellations across the coun- try, including Halton, Canada's national blood system is concerned about the po- tential impact on its inventory. After Canadian Blood Services (CBS) put out a plea for blood donations recent- ly, a plug from the prime minister encour- aging Canadians to give blood boosted numbers, but those numbers need to be sustained, said Elaine St. Pierre, CBS ter- ritory manager, donor relations. "There is a constant need for blood. We need to be looking at more than just today. The blood is needed every day and it does have a short shelf life." Patients depend on these life-saving do- nations, said Dr. Isra Levy, CBS' vice-pres- ident of medical affairs and innovation. "Every day they are needed for patients undergoing surgery and cancer treat- ment, as well as to save lives following traumas such as motor vehicle accidents." Mobile clinics are most often held in municipal buildings, schools or churches, all of which are now closed. Canadian Blood Services on Brant Street in Burlington, the only permanent blood donor site in Halton, needs to collect in excess of 200 blood donations every week to help meet hospital needs, said St. Pierre. Milton, Halton Hills and Oakville rely on mobile clinics. "March break was already going to be a challenging week, with many of our reg- ular donors on vacation, so to add in the events of the last few days and the panic surrounding social distancing, it's so im- portant for us to calm the fears of those hesitant to continue donating." CBS needs blood coming in every day, because it goes out the door each day, with Canadian hospitals using approximately 16,000 units of blood every week, she add- ed. Regional blood donations go into a na- tional inventory where products are "reg- ularly shifted around the country to meet hospital and patient needs," said Levy. The CBS region encompassing Bur- lington also stretches as far as Hamilton and major blood donor clinics have been cancelled in the city too, including a three- day event at McMaster University, with an expected intake of 300 blood donations, as well as one within the Dofasco plant. With no sign that closures and social distancing requirements will ease any time soon, April clinics listed on the CBS website for Oakville, Halton Hills and Mil- ton should be confirmed by visiting Blood- .ca. In the interim while CBS works through this critical challenge, it is direct- ing local clients to the Burlington blood donation centre. Limits have been implemented to re- duce the number of people in the centre at one time. Appointments must be made first by going to Blood.ca, or by calling 1- 888-236-6283. Donor beds are a minimum of six feet apart and there is enhanced cleaning of equipment and surfaces. As for the safety of the blood supply, there is absolutely no evidence COVID-19 can be transmitted through a blood trans- fusion, said St. Pierre. "It is not a blood transmitted disease. By screening properly in terms of risk fac- tors, we are ensuring that the supply is safe. We have that record of historically being able to respond both quickly and ef- fectively to various public health issues in the past, demonstrated by our ability to manage through West Nile virus, H1N1, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syn- drome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), and Zika (virus)." For more information on donating blood during the pandemic, visit Blood.ca/covid19. NEWS BLOOD DONOR CLINIC CANCELLATIONS WILL IMPACT INVENTORY KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com Canadian Blood Services is concerned about its inventory as community clinics - usually held in now-closed municipal buildings, churches or schools - are being cancelled. Torstar file photo