The Beijing Red Cross Blood Center has sent 20,000 short messages and made more than 1,000 phone calls over the past two days, calling on city residents to donate amid blood shortage.

Gao Dongying, vice director of the Beijing Red Cross Blood Center, said that as snowy and windy weather were keeping people indoors less people went out to donate blood.

Since Thursday afternoon, the center has been seeking help from those who either have expressed willingness to donate blood or who have already donated twice.

Statistics from the center show that on Friday, Beijing residents donated up to 1,200 bags (200 cc each) of blood, a sharp increase from Thursday's 300 bags.

From Friday to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, volunteers across the city have donated more than 2,000 bags of blood.

It is said that some volunteers came to the center as early as 5 a.m.. "I work not far from here. Yesterday I heard from the radio that the blood bank has run short of blood," a woman surnamed Zhou said. "I came early this morning. I was afraid that I couldn't get into the line."

Now the center is working around the clock to receive volunteers, with 16 blood donation vehicles dispatched across the city.

"Currently only the blood in storage is insufficient, but supplies for treatments are adequate," Gao said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2009)