How can I help others during coronavirus / COVID-19?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: How can I help others during coronavirus / COVID-19?
Position‹4 of 5›: Donate blood
Argument‹4 of 4: Donating blood in Australia

Blood donations have decreased as a result of stay at home orders. However, the number of people who need blood transfusions hasn't changed. Finding out the best way to donate blood in Australia is a way to support your community during the coronavirus pandemic.

The argument

Blood must be relatively fresh for it to be able to be donated to those in need. However, as most people stay isolated except for essential activities, naturally less and less people are donating blood. Blood donations are decreasing dramatically, but the amount of people who need blood is not. People with blood diseases, people with long term conditions, people who are having surgery and new mothers all still need fresh blood donations. One of the best things you can do during the coronavirus pandemic is to donate blood - you could save a life. You can find more information about donating blood in Australia here.

Premises

[P1]Patients with blood diseases, chronic conditions, surgical needs, and new mothers continue to require fresh blood donations throughout the pandemic. [P2] Isolation measures have caused blood donations to drop sharply even though demand has not fallen. [P3] Donating blood is a safe, essential activity that directly addresses this shortfall and can save lives. [C] Therefore, donating blood is one of the best ways to help others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Counter-arguments

Critics reply that billing blood donation as one of the best ways to help overlooks how conditional it is: Australia's Lifeblood applies eligibility rules — recent illness, travel, low haemoglobin, some medications — that rule out many prospective donors, so the advice cannot apply to everyone. They also point out that supply is managed through booked appointments and stock forecasting, so the constraint is frequently collection capacity rather than sheer donor numbers. On this view donating is a valuable act for those eligible and available, but the argument overstates a specific, conditional option as the single best thing anyone can do, when other forms of pandemic help are open to all.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] Fresh blood is continually needed, but the service meets that need through scheduled donation and inventory rotation, so an individual gift is one input among many. [Rejecting P2] The drop in donations partly reflected services capping appointments for safety, so the shortfall was not simply too few willing donors. [Rejecting P3] Eligibility rules exclude many people, so donating cannot be one of the best things everyone can do, and other help remains available to them.