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. 2020 Oct;59(5):102818.
doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2020.102818. Epub 2020 May 21.

Dwindling blood reserves: An ominous downside of COVID-19 pandemic

Sohail Kumar  1 , Dua Azim  2 , Sundus Nasim  2 , Shariq Haider Hashmi  3
Affiliations

Dwindling blood reserves: An ominous downside of COVID-19 pandemic

Sohail Kumar et al. Transfus Apher Sci. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

  1. •

    Transfusion therapy is vital to ensure a healthy community. Thus, a safe and reliable reserve of blood is necessary, even in the face of widespread illness.

  2. •

    Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, a decline in blood supply has been noticed as hospitals and communities have switched to more pandemic-oriented operations.

  3. •

    Restricted mobility secondary to isolation and quarantine seems to be the major reason causing decline in number of donors.

  4. •

    Misinformation regarding transmission of coronavirus through blood along with the attitude of people towards hospitals and blood banks has also contributed to diminishing blood supplies.

Keywords: Blood donation; Blood transfusion; COVID-19; Pandemics; Transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

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