Over 1,600 donate blood, platelets on New Year holiday

The National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) recorded 1,269 blood and 359 platelet donors from February 8-14, higher than the previous years.

On a daily average, over 230 people came to the NIHBT to donate blood and platelets, reaching its peak on February 13, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year (Tết) festival.

In late January, the NIHBT issued an urgent appeal for blood donation before Tết, citing critically low blood reserves and estimating a deficit of approximately 10,000 units for the holiday season.

From February 2-7, it received a total of nearly 8,300 units of blood, with the highest intake recorded on February 4, tallying 2,162 units donated.