献血急減で協力呼び掛け　新型コロナ、７００カ所で中止―日赤

　新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大の影響で、献血に協力する人が急減している。企業やイベントでの献血の中止が相次いだためで、日本赤十字社はこのまま推移すれば輸血に支障が出る恐れがあるとして協力を呼び掛けている。
　日赤によると、政府の対策本部が大規模イベントの延期検討を求めた２月１８日以降、献血者数は全国的に減少が続く。特に、政府がウイルス対策の基本方針をまとめた同２５日以降の５日間は、目標より約６０００人分不足し、確保できた血液量は８７．７％にとどまった。
　日赤は各企業やイベント会場などに献血バスを出して協力を募っているが、在宅勤務の広がりやイベントの取りやめなどで、全国７００カ所以上での献血中止が決まったという。日赤血液事業本部の瀧川正弘・経営企画部次長は「血液は長期保存ができないため、１日あたり約１万３０００人の協力が継続的に必要になる」と説明。献血ルームなどを訪れる際は、人数の偏りを避けるために前日午後５時までに予約してほしいと呼び掛けている。（2020/03/04-17:26）

The outbreak of the new coronavirus in Japan is leading to a sharp decrease in blood donors as a string of events have been canceled, putting the Japanese Red Cross Society on alert over the situation.
   The Red Cross is calling for blood donations, concerned that treatment of patients needing blood transfusions could be affected if the number of donors remains low at the current levels.
   The number of blood donors have been decreasing across the country since the Japanese government called for large-scale events to be postponed on Feb. 18. In the five days from Feb. 25, when the government adopted a basic policy for tackling the new coronavirus, the number of donors was about 6,000 fewer than the target and the society was able to collect blood equivalent to only 87.7 pct of the planned level.
   The society sends mobile blood donation units to companies and the sites of events to seek cooperation from people. But such blood donation campaigns have been or are to be canceled at more than 700 locations, due to companies starting to promote teleworking and events being called off amid the viral outbreak, according to the Red Cross.
   "We continuously need blood donations from some 13,000 people a day because blood can't be stored for a long period," Masahiro Takikawa, an official of the organization, said.