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The blood supply management amid the COVID-19 outbreak
1Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Rama Himalayan University, Swami Ram Nagar, Jolly Grant Dehradun 248016, Uttarakhand.
Insights
The COVID-19 lockdown severely impacted blood donation, drastically reducing donors and blood supply. This study analyzes the effect on blood inventory management during the pandemic.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Hematology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic prompted government interventions like lockdowns and restrictions on mass gatherings.
- These measures led to the suspension of voluntary blood donation camps, significantly impacting blood collection.
- Blood centers faced a dramatic decrease in donors, jeopardizing blood stock levels.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the effect of COVID-19 mass lockdown on blood supply management.
- To compare blood collection and demand in two phases: pre-outbreak and during the outbreak.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of blood collection and inventory data.
- Evaluation of blood supply management strategies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Main Results:
- A significant decline in voluntary blood donors and overall blood collection was observed during the lockdown phase.
- Deferred elective surgeries and clinical interventions contributed to a drop in blood demand.
- Blood centers experienced a critical depletion of blood inventory.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 lockdown critically affected blood supply chain management, leading to severe shortages.
- Recovery of normal blood collection and supply is contingent on the pandemic's duration and public behavior.
- Adaptive strategies are crucial for maintaining blood inventory during public health crises.
Abstract:
Due to the government's early intervention such as mass lockdown and curtailment strategies towards mass gatherings, amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the organization of the voluntary blood donation camps have been suspended. It's most significant impact on the blood community has been a dramatic decrease in the number of blood donors. Therefore, our blood stock has almost dried up and put our inventory in a state of jeopardy. Additionally, all the elective surgeries and non-urgent clinical interventions have also been deferred during this time. This has led to a drop in the blood collection, demand as well as the issue at our blood center. With this backdrop, we intended to assess the effect of this mass lockdown on our blood supply management, particularly in two phases [phase-I prior to the outbreak] and phase-II [during the outbreak]. Transitioning back to the normal conditions would most likely depend on the extent and the time duration of this pandemic and associated behavioural change, which is foreseen to remain in effect well beyond the original estimates.
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