The effect of COVID-19 on blood donation habits

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Hematology

Background:

• Blood centers (BCs) depend on schools and businesses for donations.
• Shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional donation channels.
• Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on blood donation patterns is crucial for maintaining blood supply.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected blood donation habits.
• To analyze changes in donor demographics and donation types during the pandemic.
• To assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing on donation behavior.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of blood donation data from pre-COVID (2018-2019) and COVID (2020) periods.
• Review of donation types (first-time, repeat, lapsed), donor sex, age, ethnicity, and ABO blood groups.
• Inclusion of data from high school and college blood drives.
• Analysis of donations before and after the implementation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in total blood donations during the study period (COVID-19) compared to the control period.
• Increased donations observed across sexes, first-time donors, lapsed donors, and all ABO blood types.
• Significant decrease in donations from Hispanic and African American individuals.
• Notable decrease in donors aged 30 years and younger.
• Increased donations were also observed after the implementation of SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing.

Conclusions:

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered blood donation patterns, leading to an increase in overall donations.
• Shifts in donor demographics were observed, with a decrease in Hispanic and African American donors and an increase in Caucasian donors.
• Changes in donor types, including an increase in first-time and lapsed donors, were significant.
• The findings underscore the need for targeted strategies to re-engage underrepresented donor groups and younger donors.