The Cayman Islands Blood Bank issued an urgent appeal for O-negative, O-positive and platelet donors on Tuesday, 27 October, the day after a man was shot multiple times in West Bay and taken to hospital in critical condition.

The Health Services Authority (HSA), which operates the Blood Bank from the second floor of the Anthony S. Eden Hospital, told The Caymanian Journal (TCJ) in written responses emailed on 29 October, to questions sent on 27 October, that the shortfall had been caused by "a small number of severe bleeding cases". It did not identify the cases to TCJ. Michelle Allen, a medical technologist at the HSA, told Compass News in a report broadcast on 28 October: "The recent shooting had placed a demand on our inventory."

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) said in a release dated 26 October that officers were dispatched to the area of Watercourse Road, West Bay, just before 7:50pm that evening after reports of multiple gunshots, and found a man sitting inside a vehicle with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to hospital by ambulance. In an update on 27 October, the RCIPS said he had been treated for severe injuries and was in "critical but stable condition". No suspect had been identified and the suspect vehicle had not been recovered.

The Blood Bank's appeal, released as a public service announcement and carried by Radio Cayman on 28 October, asked all eligible donors of either blood type, and anyone able to give platelets, to come forward as soon as possible because of what it called "critically low supplies". The announcement gave no cause for the shortage. The HSA said supplies were "presently back at safe levels" and that the shortage had not affected, and was not expected to affect, any scheduled surgery or other treatment at either the Anthony S. Eden Hospital or Faith Hospital.

The HSA said the position could change quickly. "Stock levels can change in a minute with a single blood-loss incident," it said, adding that "the situation can change in a second".

What the Blood Bank aims to hold

The HSA said it aims to keep a minimum daily stock of the two blood types in greatest demand. "The daily minimum we aim to maintain for O Positive is 30, daily minimum for O negative is 12," it told TCJ.

Donation figures supplied by the HSA show the Blood Bank received 1,856 whole blood donations and 105 platelet donations in 2025. From January to September 2026 it received 1,317 whole blood donations and 76 platelet donations. When it announced a shipment of blood to Jamaica on 31 October 2025, the HSA said the Blood Bank's usual daily average was 10 or fewer donations.

A rare call for help

Asked how many public appeals of this kind it had issued in the past two years, the HSA cited two: the current appeal, and a call in late October 2025 to help Jamaica's recovery after Hurricane Melissa. It described the public's response on that occasion as "overwhelmingly positive". A separate Blood Bank appeal for O-negative donors, also citing "critically low supplies", was carried by Radio Cayman on 25 June 2026.

According to the HSA's statement of 31 October 2025, 65 donors, including 13 new donors, came forward, and on that date the Blood Bank sent 51 units of red cells and 72 units of plasma to Jamaica's National Blood Transfusion Service. In an update dated 6 November 2025, the Blood Bank announced "a temporary pause on all donations" so that existing supplies could be processed and used "efficiently and safely".

HSA Chief Executive Officer Lizzette Yearwood said in the 31 October 2025 statement that she would "encourage donors not to stop here", because "the need for ready, willing blood donors remains ongoing, both locally and regionally". She added: "Blood has a shelf life of 35 days, so consistent donations are necessary."

Why these two blood types matter

O-negative red cells can be given to a patient of any blood group, according to NHS Blood and Transplant, the blood service for England. The HSA said O-negative is relied upon in emergencies, particularly when there is not enough time to establish a patient's blood group before a transfusion is needed, and that it is frequently used for trauma patients, people experiencing severe bleeding and others who require immediate, lifesaving transfusions.

NHS Blood and Transplant estimates that around 8% of people in the UK have O-negative blood, yet the type accounts for 13% of requests from hospitals.

The Blood Bank's announcement said O-positive is "the most common blood type and is usually in high demand", and that it can be given to patients with any positive blood type, meaning O-positive, A-positive, B-positive or AB-positive.

The role of platelets

Platelets are the component of blood that helps it to clot. The HSA said they prevent or control bleeding in people whose platelet counts are low or whose platelets do not function properly, and that they are particularly important for patients undergoing cancer treatment, bone marrow transplants or major surgery.

Platelets cannot be stockpiled in the way red cells can. According to NHS Blood and Transplant, red blood cells can be stored for up to 35 days, but platelets can be stored for up to seven days, so a platelet supply depends on a continuous flow of fresh donations.

The HSA said platelet donors must meet broadly the same criteria as whole blood donors, but must also have a good vein and a minimum platelet count, which is checked before donation. A platelet donation takes at least one to two hours, compared with about 10 minutes for whole blood, and platelet donors can give once a month. Those interested must first register on the Blood Bank's platelet donor list.

Who can donate

The Blood Bank's published eligibility requirements, at bloodbank.ky, state that new donors must be aged 18 to 60, that existing donors in good health can continue to give up to age 70, and that donors must weigh at least 50 kilograms. Donors should feel well on the day, and anyone with a cold, flu, sore throat, cold sores or a stomach bug is asked to wait until fully recovered. There is a six-month wait after any tattoo or body piercing, haemoglobin levels are checked before each donation, and recent travel to areas with malaria, dengue or Zika may require a short deferral.

The HSA told TCJ the most common reasons prospective donors are turned away include low haemoglobin, the waiting period after a tattoo or piercing and other medical conditions. Under the published requirements, men can give whole blood every three months and women every four months.

The donor pool was widened in September 2023, when the Cayman Islands Government (CIG) lifted an exclusion on people who had lived in the UK for three months or longer between 1980 and 2001, introduced over the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Announcing the change on 25 September 2023, Sabrina Turner, then Minister for Health and Wellness, said a larger local donor pool would reduce "Cayman's dependency on importing blood from the U.S." Dr Lundie Richards, the HSA's consultant haematologist-oncologist, said at the time that the Blood Bank could now accept more donations "without compromising safety".

Who benefits from a donation

The HSA said every donation has the potential to save lives and to support patients undergoing emergency treatment, surgery, cancer care and treatment for childbirth complications, as well as those living with a range of other medical conditions. The Blood Bank's announcement and its website give its hours as 7:00am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday and 9:00am to 5:30pm on Saturday, closed on Sundays and public holidays, with appointments preferred, walk-ins welcome and Saturday sessions for walk-ins only.

The HSA's stated daily minimums are 30 units of O-positive and 12 units of O-negative. The daily intake it described in its 31 October 2025 statement was 10 or fewer donations of all types. The HSA's responses to TCJ did not say how many donors had come forward since 27 October or on what date stocks returned to safe levels.