Staff of the Japanese Red Cross Society call on passers-by to donate blood in Tokyo’s Ota Ward on March 5. (Hikaru Uchida)

The Japanese Red Cross Society voiced concerns that supplies of donated blood for transfusions have fallen rapidly since the outbreak of the new coronavirus and warned it may shortly be unable to supply certain blood types to hospitals if the situation continues.

Blood donor numbers started decreasing after the government called for large-scale events to be canceled, shut down schools and urged companies to allow their employees to telework. The situation is compounded by the fact that fewer people are venturing out for fear of becoming infected.

The Red Cross noted that blood generally cannot be stored for long periods and must be used within four to 21 days of being drawn. It said that about 13,000 donors are needed per day to ensure a stable supply of blood.

It said the number of blood donating events, including group donations at companies and schools, as well as on blood donation buses, has sharply declined since around late February due to concerns about becoming infected in places where many people gather.

Of some 3,800 such events scheduled for March nationwide, 780 or so had already been canceled as of March 5.

The Red Cross called on passers-by to donate blood in front of JR Kamata Station in Tokyo’s Ota Ward on March 5.

“It’s important to constantly secure a certain amount of blood, rather than collecting a large amount all at once,” said Yuki Komuro, 47, who is in charge of promoting blood donation at the Red Cross. “I think it will take some time (before things get back to normal), but I hope many people will still visit blood donation rooms and avoid crowds by making a reservation.”