Cape Town – The Western Cape Blood Service said on Wednesday the province's "O" blood stocks were critically low and called on residents to donate.
O blood is universal, meaning it can be used on a person with any blood type.
The NPO said that donating blood during the coronavirus outbreak was safe and that additional precautionary measures had been put in place to ensure the protection of donors and staff.
Meanwhile, the South African Blood Service (SABS) said its blood stocks were sitting at five days' supply. According to the SABS, fewer than 1 percent of South Africans are active blood donors.
The country moved into an eased level 3 of its Covid-19 lockdown on Monday, which allowed for a further opening of the economy and for the sale of alcohol for the first time in over 60 days.
But with the sale of alcohol, trauma cases immediately increased, as did the need for blood.
According to media reports, the Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg reported double the number of trauma cases in 24 hours due to alcohol-related incidents. The hospital is the biggest in Africa and one of the largest in the world.
In Cape Town on Monday, a young biker was allegedly killed by a drunk driver, reported the Daily Voice. Alcohol was alleged to have been found in the driver's car.