KUCHING, Aug 29 — Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) president Voon Lee Shan today called on the state government to dispel public fears of possible Covid-19 infections through blood transfusions.
He said that with the high rate of asymptomatic individuals, many people were concerned of contracting Covid-19 from blood donors.
“There is much concern that individuals who donate could be asymptomatic carriers and the virus could not be detected at the time they donate their blood,” Voon said in a statement.
He said that clinical tests may give false negative results if improperly performed.
“Therefore, the question now is how safe is the blood to be transfused to patients who are in need of blood at the moment be free from Covid-19?” asked Voon, who is also a former Batu Lintang assemblyman.
He urged the state government to clarify if there are measures to ensure that the blood from donors is safe for recipients, as there is little knowledge of the precautions and guidelines on how blood is collected by the blood bank in hospitals at the moment.
“There is a fear that at the time blood is collected, the blood could be contaminated if Covid-19 laboratory tests to screen blood donors is used or medical staff involved in treatment of Covid-19 patients are involved in taking blood samples or swabs from blood donors.
“Public needs to be informed of the precautions and guidelines on how blood is collected by the blood bank in hospitals at the moment.
“The government is obligated to disclose and to educate the public on this. This is to clear the anxiety and stress that is faced by the people at the moment concerning blood collection and transfusions in hospitals,” Voon said.
