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Covid-19 Pandemic Leading To ‘Severe' Blood Shortage: American Red Cross

Covid-19 Pandemic Leading To ‘Severe' Blood Shortage: American Red Cross
Covid-19 doesn’t spread through blood transfusions

The American Red Cross has seen a 10 per cent rise in red blood cell demand from hospital trauma centres compared with 2019. Here's how COVID-19 pandemic is leading to blood shortage.

Written by Longjam Dineshwori |Updated : June 25, 2021 3:26 PM IST

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has created a global health crisis, with countries struggling to maintain a balance between fighting the current disease outbreak and maintaining the essential health services. It is straining health systems worldwide, leading to critical shortages of health resources, including medical materials and health care workers. The American Red Cross has also raised a red flag about a "severe" blood shortage nationwide of "unprecedented levels", contributed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pampee Young, the Red Cross's chief medical officer of Biomedical Services, highlighted the issue in a Washington Post report published on Thursday. "What we're experiencing at the American Red Cross in our effort to provide blood nationally is a severe shortage of unprecedented levels. We did not anticipate that it would be at this level," he was quoted as saying.

According to the report, this year alone, the American Red Cross has experienced a 10 per cent increase in red blood cell demand from hospital trauma centres compared with 2019. The Red Cross supplies about 40 percent of donated blood across the US and usually have a four- to five-day supply on hand. But this time, the supply of Type O-negative red cells has fallen to a half-day's worth, Young said.

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Over the past three months, the organization said that it is distributing about 75,000 more blood products than expected, to meet the rising demand.

COVID-19 pandemic leading to rise in demand for blood

The Red Cross attributed the ongoing pandemic towards the blood shortage in the US.

Young said that many people postponed their elective surgeries during the pandemic, which resulted in advanced disease progression, requiring more blood transfusions.

As people return to their pre-pandemic activities, hospitals are also catching up with many of their pending surgeries, which has increased the demand for blood. Over the past few months, hospitals across the nation have witnessed a rise in trauma cases, organ transplants and elective surgeries, prompting a national blood shortage, the American Red Cross stated.

The lack of blood is so great that some hospitals are delaying elective surgeries and crucial patient care, until blood supply levels rebound, Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in a statement reported by The New York Times.

Moreover, supplies have dwindled to precariously low levels with the traditional collection methods such as donation drives at schools and offices, being halted largely due to pandemic precautions.

Blood donations during Covid-19 pandemic

There are also rumours doing the rounds that blood donation during COVID-19 times can lead to health risks, as well as increase the risk of coronavirus infection. Is this restricting you from stepping out to donate blood or getting blood transfusions? Here's the fact:

Coronavirus is primarily a respiratory virus, but it can also infect the gastrointestinal tract. People can get infected by inhaling or ingesting the virus, but not by receiving blood transfusions. Don't worry! Blood donation centres are safe as long as all COVID-19-related protocols are followed religiously by the staff and donors.

However, if you have COVID symptoms and have tested positive, you should wait for at least 28 days before considering donating blood. If you have tested negative but still has symptoms, you need to wait for a 14-day period from the resolution of symptoms.