An extra 126 donors are needed to donate blood at Maitland Donor Centre between January 22-29, as 4,500 vital appointments go unfilled every day across the country.

Public holidays are always a challenging time for blood donations and Lifeblood spokesperson Brian Bruce said new and existing donors were needed now to step up, take the Bloody Oath and be the lifeblood of Australia.

"There are more than 25 million people living in Australia, but currently only 500,000 of those donate blood," Mr Bruce said.

"With record numbers of people unwell and having to isolate, right now Australia needs anyone who is eligible and well to give blood donation a go.

"COVID does not stop the need for blood. There are still road accident patients who need large volumes of blood, cancer patients who rely on blood to survive chemotherapy, women who experience child birth complications and many others who rely on this precious resource."

Mr Bruce said there was nothing more Australian than saving the life of a mate or three.

"One in three people will need blood in their lifetime, which means you could be giving hope, joy and even life to someone in your own family or the Maitland community," he said.

"Donating blood only takes an hour of your time, which means there's still plenty of time to spend with mates.

"If you're not sure that you can donate, please don't rule yourself out.

"If you're aged between 18-75, healthy and well, there's a good chance you may be eligible to donate."

Book in a blood donation by calling 13 14 95, visiting lifeblood.com.au or downloading the Donateblood App.

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