key: cord-1029194-qov24scu
authors: Kumar, Sohail; Azim, Dua; Nasim, Sundus; Hashmi, Shariq Haider
title: Dwindling blood reserves: An ominous downside of COVID-19 pandemic
date: 2020-05-21
journal: Transfus Apher Sci
DOI: 10.1016/j.transci.2020.102818
sha: 16f193f0d2ba64d9db9a878ee367d7249588a21a
doc_id: 1029194
cord_uid: qov24scu

• Transfusion therapy is vital to ensure a healthy community. Thus, a safe and reliable reserve of blood is necessary, even in the face of widespread illness. • Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a decline in blood supply has been noticed as hospitals and communities have switched to more pandemic-oriented operations. • Restricted mobility secondary to isolation and quarantine seems to be the major reason causing decline in number of donors. • Misinformation regarding transmission of coronavirus through blood along with the attitude of people towards hospitals and blood banks has also contributed to diminishing blood supplies.

 Misinformation regarding transmission of coronavirus through blood along with the attitude of people towards hospitals and blood banks has also contributed to diminishing blood supplies.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), immense fear, confusion, and uncertainty have disrupted lives. Despite years of planning to combat a future pandemic, including health care and community operations, nations have failed to contain the newly emergent virus as seen by the rapidly rising cases and death toll. A lot has been said and written regarding the shortage of drugs and personal protective equipment; however, little has been heard regarding a potential life-threatening drawback: the shortage of blood donations.

Transfusion therapy is an integral part of clinical practice, both saving lives in emergent settings as well as being the sole treatment option for many chronically ill individuals. In the setting of trauma, major surgeries, organ transplants, complicated malignancies, postpartum hemorrhage, and blood disorders such as thalassemia, hemophilia, and sickle cell anemia, blood transfusions carry significant importance. Unfortunately, data from previous outbreaks demonstrates that such pandemics may have an unfavorable impact on blood donation and utilization [1] . Thus, a safe and reliable reserve of blood is necessary, even in the face of widespread illness. Currently, the rapidly spreading COVID-19 has brought about unprecedented challenges in maintaining blood reserves, as community and hospital activities have switched from their usual to more pandemicoriented operations [2] . According to health professionals, voluntary blood donation by the healthy group of the population has fallen drastically. Nearly 4,000 planned blood drives have been canceled in the United States due to closure of workplaces and schools where such drives J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f were previously held, resulting in declining blood reserves. Thus, as the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, there is a global concern about the dwindling blood supplies to meet the needs of the patient population [3, 4] . Acute blood shortage has led hospitals across the world to cancel elective surgeries to preserve their supplies [5] . Consequently, this adds to our concern by putting at risk those patients whose lives are dependent on regular transfusions. Thus, it is vital to address the said issue, identify the factors involved and resolve them at the earliest to achieve a healthy community.

We believe that the key reason for diminishing blood reserves is the country-wide lockdown that has led to uncertainty, fear, and hysteria among the masses. Though necessary, mobility restriction secondary to undue confinement is a major concern. The curbs, therefore, have impeded the movement of blood donors resulting in a substantial decrease in the number of potential donors [3] . In these precarious times when people are suffering from a dearth of necessities coupled with the diminishing finances and restricted social interactions, it is not surprising that people overlook the need for blood donation that helps save the lives of those dependent on them. Thus, given the importance of blood donation and the adverse effect of containment strategies on it, a meticulous plan by the government in collaboration with the health care associations should be devised at the earliest. We, as health care professionals, would like to emphasize the use of telehealth systems to carry out blood drives effectively amid the pandemic. This will urge more people to participate in donation campaigns by simply making calls to the concerned entities. Moreover, considering restricted-mobility, staff from various collection units should provide door-to-door services so that the donors can have easy access within the comfort of their homes. They have also taken measures to sanitize anything that comes into contact with humans.

Moreover, regular temperature checks of the staff and donors strengthen their strategy to mitigate a possible infection risk [4, 5] .

In such times of crisis, most medical attention is diverted to those afflicted with physical ramifications of the coronavirus. Even though it is imperative to do so, it is also essential that those suffering from preexisting medical conditions, for example, thalassemia patients whose hospitals must institute all the safety protocols to attenuate the risk of infection spread to the donors and the staff. The government should also aid by providing additional resources to carry out blood drives. Implementation of such interventions to sustain blood supply must be our utmost priority as we fear that with an entire emphasis on the mitigation of COVID-19, negligence in other areas can lead to broader health risks.

COVID-19; Blood Donation; Transmission; Blood Transfusion; Pandemics

No funding sources to declare.

This study requires no ethics approval due to public data-based analysis. The authors are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that the question related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Not applicable.

This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

The datasets supporting the conclusion of this article are included within the article.

J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f

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Prepare to adapt: Blood supply and transfusion support during the first 2 weeks of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic affecting Washington State

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National Geographic. Blood and organ donations shrink amid coronavirus fears

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European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Rapid Risk Assessment: Outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome associated with a novel coronavirus

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Not applicable

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Sohail Kumar contributed the conception of the work, did literature search, drafted the initial manuscript, and agree to be accountable for all aspects in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.Dua Azim did literature search, drafted the initial manuscript, and agree to be accountable for all aspects in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.Sundus Nasim and Shariq Haider Hashmi revised the manuscript for important intellectual content, approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to be accountable for all aspects in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.