Lebanese red cross blood services response to beirut blast

Background/Case Studies: The Lebanese Red Cross Blood Transfusion Services is mandated by the Ministry of Public Health to provide hospitals with safe blood components. The LRC has 13 blood centers located in the 5 districts in the country and delivering 30% of the national blood supply. On the 4th of August 2020 at 6.07 pm, a huge explosion destroyed the Beirut Port and a part of the capital, killing 200 persons and injuring more than 6000. The two LRC Blood centers located in Beirut were partially or completely destroyed. Study Design/Methods: Scaling up to provide enough blood units to treat the wounded after such a massive rapid-onset event was particularly challenging in a country with a fragmented blood transfusion system where hospitals have limited or no blood stocks at all, and where the whole transfusion system is based on blood donations in response to immediate needs (replacement donations). We will be presenting Lebanese Red Cross blood services immediate response to Beirut blast. Results/Findings: The explosion exceeded in amplitude and speed of onset all the disaster scenarios for which LRC BTS team had prepared. However, the disaster plan was activated a few minutes after the explosion and 10 Blood Centers were mobilized throughout the night with technologists, volunteers, doctors, stock officers, and volunteers reporting to centers. The priority was to assess the needs through regular communication with hospitals, and the immediate requests were satisfied with 688 units of Packed red blood cells and fresh frozen plasma from all blood groups transported to more than 29 hospitals in the capital and other areas in the country by trained volunteers using LRC vans. A call for blood donations was made on LRC's social media channels and 1279 donors reported within the first 72 hours to LRC Blood Centers. Volunteers organized the reception and flow of donors while respecting COVID-19 safety measures. The blood collection continued overnight on day 1. Then, blood collection continued with a focus on specific blood groups based on the needs expressed by hospitals. Within 72 hours, 1060 blood units were collected representing a fourfold increase compared to the regular situation. Volunteers also operated the call center receiving the calls from persons expressing the will to donate blood. Contact details of these potential donors were registered and more than 5200 prospective new blood donors were registered in LRC database with 48% recruitment rate. Conclusions: LRC managed in this unprecedented disaster to answer to the immediate need of the community while avoiding overcollection and wastage of blood products. This response was based on previous emergency planning, availability of trained personnel, adequate supplies, efficient coordination with health institutions and appropriate management of blood donors, volunteers and staff.

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on blood supplies and transfusion services in Eastern Mediterranean Region.

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spurred a global health crisis. The safety and supply of blood during this pandemic has been a concern of blood banks and transfusion services as it is expected to adversely affect blood system activities. We aim to assess the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) during the first months of the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was designed to address blood supply, transfusion demand, and donor management during the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Medical directors of different blood banks were invited to participate. RESULTS: A total of 16 centers participated with representation from 15/19 countries in the region. In total, 75% were from national blood banks. Most centres had a decrease in the blood supply, ranging from 26-50%. Representatives from 14 countries (93.3%) believed that public fear has contributed to a decrease in donations. Most centres (n=12, 75%) had a reduction in transfusion demand, while those who did not, reported heavy involvement in treating patients with underlying haemoglobinopathies and haematological malignancies. Half of the centres activated their contingency plans. Four centres had to alter the blood donor eligibility criteria to meet demands. All centres implemented donor deferral criteria in relation to SARS-CoV-2, but were variable in measures to mitigate the risk of donor and staff exposure. CONCLUSION: Blood services in the region faced variable degrees of blood shortages. We summarize lessons learnt during this pandemic for the blood banks to consider to plan, assess, and respond proportionately to future similar pandemics.

Rafic Hariri University Hospital preparedness sharing initial experience on COVID-19. (Special Issue: COVID-19 pandemic.)

Background: The first cases of novel coronavirus (2019-ncov) infected patients occurred in Lebanon in February 2020 and March 2020. Rafic Hariri University Hospital was the first hospital in Lebanon that rapidly responded to this crisis through the effective use of scarce resources and the swift arrangement of departments as part of the contingency plan. It was able to mitigate the impact of the first COVID-19 wave in Lebanon through active management and proper preparedness. We analyzed data on the first 63 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to determine their epidemiological and clinical characteristics.