Australians with O-type blood are being asked to roll up their sleeves as storages hit their lowest point since 2023. An extra 9500 donations of O positive and O negative blood donors are needed in the next seven days to ensure Lifeblood can continue to meet patient needs across the country.
Lifeblood executive director Stuart Chesneau said O-type blood supplies are at their lowest level since October 2023.
This is because of high rates of people rescheduling or cancelling their appointments since June 2024, he said.
"Every day, we issue close to 10,000 blood transfusions and medications to hospitals around the country to meet patient demand and we can't do it without people donating," Mr Chesneau said.
He said O positive and O negative are the blood types most frequently ordered by hospitals and can both be used in emergency situations.
O negative is considered an 'universal blood type' and is often stocked in ambulances and rescue helicopters for patients whose blood type is unknown.
Less than seven per cent of the Australian population is O negative, making it one of the rarer blood types, however its versatility means it makes up 16 per cent of the blood ordered by hospitals.
But donations of O positive are equally as important.
"What many people don't know is that O positive is as safe as O negative for the majority of emergency transfusions," he said.
"Some 40 per cent of people in Australia have O positive blood, meaning they too can help save lives in emergency situations.
"We're asking people of all blood types who are feeling healthy and well, especially those with O-type blood, to make an appointment."
A blood donation appointment takes about an hour, with the donation itself only lasting up to 10 minutes.
