Shincheonji Church Blood Donation Drive Breaks Records to Solve the South Korean Blood Supply "Drought"

    SEOUL, KOREA, May 12, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- A 2-week blood donation drive called "Life ON", hosted by South Korea-based Shincheonji Church of Jesus, gathered a record-breaking 18,478 participants with the goal of solving the blood supply shortage in South Korea. The volume of provided blood from this drive allowed for a surplus of more than 3 times the average daily use of blood in all medical institutions of Korea, and has helped to solve the blood crisis which has continued since the spread of the latest COVID-19 variant in early 2022. The 3-day typical supply of blood for the country of South Korea has soared to 5.9 days of supply thanks to the help of volunteers from Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

The blood drive began on April 18th, when Shincheonji Church pledged 6,000 blood donors to help aid in the blood shortage crisis. The drive gathered 3,000 donors in the first day, met the goal of 6,000 donors within 3 days, and within two weeks, the number of Church volunteer donors climbed to almost 20,000, and the number of participants to almost 30,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Korea stated that Shincheonji's donation is "a big help to solve the nation's blood supply shortage" as the Korean blood supply has been restored. According to the Blood Management Center of the Korean Red Cross, this drive led by Shincheonji church-goers is the only one in which so many people donated blood in a period of 2 weeks.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been credited for causing the shortage of blood supply in South Korea, but as case numbers continue to rise, more blood is needed. This is not Shincheonji Church's first donation drive; the Church also supplied nearly 4,000 blood donors in late 2020 to supply healthcare facilities and research labs for vaccine research.

Shincheonji Church participants in the blood drive have also refused to accept Blood Donation Certificates, which are earned by donors as appreciation for their donation. So far, the donation certificates received from Shincheonji church-goers have added up to almost $80,000. An official from the Korean Blood Center remarked, "Many saints of Shincheonji Church of Jesus participated to fill the insufficient blood supply and demand. We're getting enough of our daily average target now, and there is no other organization doing this." Another official said, "I was deeply moved when 6,000 saints came forward and donated plasma to develop a treatment for COVID-19 in 2020. Once again, I would like to thank Shincheonji Church of Jesus for taking care of the national crises whenever they occur."

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