VOCM is asking people to roll up their sleeves and donate blood this holiday season.

The last two weeks of December are generally a challenging time to collect blood; the need for blood doesn’t take a holiday, accidents still happen and cancer patients still need their blood transfusions over the Christmas break.

The Annual VOCM Christmas Blood Drive is taking place Thursday, December 17 at 7 Wicklow Street in St. John’s from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

It is by appointment only. Canadian Blood Services says that missed or cancelled appointments at this time of year are difficult for them to fill. So they ask if you make an appointment, try to keep it. If you are unable to make it to your appointment, please cancel it so they can try to find someone else to take your place or consider re-booking into January and February.

Canadian Blood Services has enhanced COVID health and safety measures in place in all their donor centres.

Appointments can be booked in advance online through www.blood.ca, by calling 1-888-2-donate or by downloading the Give Blood App.

Meanwhile, Canadian Blood Services says there is an immediate need for blood donors.

Opportunities to collect blood donations will be lost over a few days because of the Christmas holiday, but the need for blood and blood products will remain the same.

Donated blood lasts only 42 days, but platelets commonly used to treat cancer patients have a much shorter seven-day expiry period.

Canadian Blood Services is calling on all eligible blood donors to support lifesaving care for patients over the holidays by responding to the immediate need to fill more than 15,000 open appointments across Canada by December 31.

Read the release: https://t.co/RwgM72tuZh pic.twitter.com/sBydrB2DnW

— Canadian Blood Services (@CanadasLifeline) December 15, 2020