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Australia’s O-type Blood Stock Falls to Lowest Level Since October 2023

Red Cross Lifeblood warns 9,500 O-positive or O-negative donations are needed within seven days to sustain nearly 10,000 daily transfusions

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Overview

  • High rates of donor appointment cancellations and rescheduling since June 2024 have driven O-type supplies to their current low.
  • O-negative blood, present in less than 7% of Australians, is stocked in ambulances and accounts for 16% of hospital usage.
  • Roughly 40% of the population carries O-positive blood, which is as safe as O-negative for most emergency transfusions.
  • Only 3% of the 57% of Australians eligible to donate give blood regularly, deepening the shortfall.
  • Blood donation appointments take about an hour, with the actual donation lasting up to ten minutes.