2.38m People with 'Super Blood' Asked to Donate Ahead of the Olympics

2.38m People with 'Super Blood' Asked to Donate Ahead of the Olympics PR Newswire LONDON, June 15, 2012 LONDON, June 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Demand for universal blood type O Negative expected to be higher than donations being made during the games New statistics from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) announced yesterday reveal a gap between demand and supply of blood type O Rh Negative (O Negative) during national celebrations and underline an urgent need for O Negative donors to come forward ahead of the Olympics next month. thThe statistics coincide with yesterday's annual World Blood Donor Day (14 June). The theme this year is heroes. NHSBT marked the occasion with a special one-off blood donation session at the Tower of London to appeal to this group of blood donor heroes whilst also collecting blood from some Britain's military heroes, the Beefeaters. Around the jubilee celebrations demand for type O Negative blood was 69% higher than the number of donations being made, mirroring past public holidays such as Easter (25% higher demand than donations) and Christmas (29% higher demand than donations). All blood types are needed to build stocks in advance of an exceptionally busy summer, but there is a particular need for O Negative donors to prepare for The Olympics. An estimated 1.