Egypt said it received 87,391 requests from citizens wishing to be registered as blood donors, Health Minister Hala Zayed announced on Saturday.

The significant number of requests were received within only 24 hours after launching an online campaign in cooperation between the ministry, represented in the National Blood Transfusion Services, and Facebook to encourage people to donate blood, Zayed noted.

In a statement, Health Ministry Spokesman Khaled Megahed said that blood donation centers across the state have also received 1,827 calls to inquire about the campaign measures.

The campaign, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will also motivate those who have recovered from coronavirus to donate blood plasma to help patients in critical condition improve, he added.

Megahed said that the ministry has set up the hotline (15366) for citizen's inquires.

Those between the ages of (18-65) and can register as blood donors on the social media platform, and they will be notified by the blood donation centers in their vicinity when there is a need for blood, the spokesman pointed out.

Of the 28 blood donation centers nationwide, five have been dedicated to convalescent plasma donations.