BLOOD COLLECTION AND USAGE DURING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK

ABSTRACT

A signifcant concern of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the dramatic decrease in the number of blood donation drives across Malaysia. The pandemic is putting a strain on the blood inventory and supply, especially to transfusion-dependent patients;i.e., thalassemia major, sickle cell disease and cancer patients. This is a retrospective cross-sectional study carried out at the Transfusion Medicine Unit, Hospital USM from December 2019 to April 2020. Data on blood donation and blood component usage were collected and tabulated three months (18th December 2019 to 17th March 2020) before movement control order (MCO) and during the frst phase of MCO (18th March to 17th April 2020). Whole blood units that were donated via mobile drives were predominantly affected with the number of blood donors in blood mobiles decreased by 80.7% during MCO. The decreasing pattern was due to the cancellation of 25 mobile drives, which targeted 1267 blood donors. Blood usage was also escalating down to 840 during the CO, which was due to no elective operations, admissions, or procedures done during the MCO. Routine blood donation and collection thus need to be resumed in less affected areas to meet the clinical needs with greater precaution against COVID-19 infections. © 2021, Penerbit UMT. All Rights Reserved