Hospitals Are Facing the Worst Blood Shortage in More Than a Decade

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. hospitals face a critical shortage of blood supplies, adding to the pressure on the health-care system already strained by surging Covid-19 cases.

Ongoing blood shortages “could significantly jeopardize the ability of health care providers” to care for patients, the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association said in a joint statement Thursday.

“The need for blood has increased while staffing shortages and high rates of Covid-19 in communities have diminished donations,” the groups said. They said people shouldn’t be discouraged from donating if they can’t get appointments right away because the need is ongoing.

The American Red Cross warned this month that the U.S. was facing its worst blood shortage in more than a decade. The group said the dwindling blood supply is “forcing doctors to make difficult decisions” about which patients should receive blood transfusions -- and who would need to wait.

Pandemic challenges have led to a 10% overall decline in the number of people donating blood and a 62% decrease in blood drives at schools and colleges, the Red Cross said. Staffing shortages and ongoing blood drive cancellations have contributed to the drop.

The crisis renewed calls from lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates to end policies that limit blood donations by men who have sex with men. Calling such policies discriminatory and not supported by evidence, a group of U.S. senators led by Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin sent a letter this month to federal health officials urging an end to restrictions on gay and bisexual blood donors.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued revised donor guidelines in the early months of the pandemic that allowed gay and bisexual men to donate blood after refraining from sexual contact after three months instead of a year. The Red Cross has hailed the move as an “interim step” toward building a more inclusive donor environment.

An FDA spokesperson said in an email that the agency is examining the issue and “considering the possibility of pursuing alternative strategies that maintain blood safety.”

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