Younger Macao residents are increasingly unwilling to donate blood, according to the Rotary Club, which says that university and secondary school students have been less inclined to donate blood since the Covid-19 pandemic
The Macau Daily Times reports recent data showing that the percentage of first-time donors dropped from 30 percent in 2018 to 21.1 percent in 2024. Elvo Sou of the Rotary Club, which organises annual blood donation drives, attributed this decline to waning social engagement, which he saw as a result of pandemic-related restrictions.
Sou’s comments came in the lead up to Rotary’s Blood Donation Day, which takes place this Saturday at Taipa’s Nova Mall. He told the Times that he hoped holding it at the mall would encourage young people to donate.
[See more: Generosity in veins: Macao’s blood donation rates defy global trends]
Donations of negative blood types would be especially important during this weekend’s drive, Sou added, as these types are rare among Asians.
Macao residents have traditionally been very keen blood donors, with the number of people giving blood increasing by up to 1,000 each year between 2018 and 2022 (when about 18,000 individuals donated). However, the total number of donors in 2024 fell by 3.2 percent to 13,740, with first-time donors decreasing by 13.6 percent, according to the Times.
In a previous interview with Macao News, director of the Macao Blood Transfusion Service Crystal Hui said that any resident “who is in good health, weighs more than 45 kilograms, is aged between 17 and 69, leads a safe sexual lifestyle, loves helping others and has about one hour of free time can give blood.”
