It’s time to roll up your sleeves, Vancouver.

Facing a critical shortage this summer, Canadian Blood Services has put out a call for all eligible Canadians to make an appointment to donate blood.  

A number of factors have contributed to the country’s depleted stock.

In December, the organization implemented new rules on eligibility. Realizing that frequent donors—and particularly women—had lower iron stores in their bodies after regular sessions, Canadian Blood Services have decided that female donors are now required to wait 12 weeks (84 days) between donations, instead of the previous eight weeks (56 days). Although the donation timeline remains unchanged for men, male contributors now have to pass a slightly higher hemoglobin test. According to CP, those new guidelines have affected an estimated 35,000 donations.

The weather, too, has played a part this year. Canadian Blood Services revealed in a statement that stormy winters and a wet spring have left inventory levels lower than normal, and while there is enough blood on the shelves to meet patient needs at present, supplies will need to greatly increase before the summer. With the routines of regular donors disrupted as thousands of Canadians spend the longer days out of town or prioritize time with friends, the country is at risk of a shortage.

Canadian Blood Services is calling for 150,000 donations by July 1^st in an effort combat the deficiency, and is urging citizens to make an appointment at their nearest clinic today. At present, they are not on track to meet that target. Currently, there is less than two days’ supply of O-negative blood: the universal blood type. At any given time, between a five- and eight-day stock of blood and blood products are needed to meet anticipated hospital demand.

Typically, Canadian Blood Services relies on a small pool of donors who contribute numerous times in a twelve-month period. Only about 400,000 people give blood each year, or 3.4 of the country’s eligible population. By contrast, one in two Canadians will need blood at some point in their life.

Your local donation centre can be found here, and further details on Canadian Blood Services is available here.