The Japanese Red Cross Society and the Japan Bone Marrow Bank are struggling to maintain blood and bone marrow supplies because the coronavirus pandemic has caused a precipitous drop in donations and blood drives.
The Japanese Red Cross Society is asking the public for cooperation so it can maintain a stable supply. The Japan Bone Marrow Bank, meanwhile, is making every effort to ensure marrow transplants are conducted under safe conditions at hospitals where the situation is chaotic with the pandemic.
On March 2, the Japanese Red Cross Society used its website to warn that blood stocks were plummeting.