U.S. Blood Supply Under Stress as Shutdowns Stop Blood Drives

(Bloomberg) -- The broad shutdown of American commerce and social life caused by the new coronavirus pandemic has put the nation’s blood supply under stress it’s never before seen, blood-center directors say.

The centers are urging people to make appointments to donate after the typical venues for drives -- schools, colleges, workplaces and houses of worship -- have broadly shut down.

About 4,000 blood drives scheduled for March, April and May have been canceled, reducing projected supply by 130,000 donations, according to America’s Blood Centers, an industry group. A March 13 Congressional Research Service report warned the outbreak “may pose significant challenges” to the U.S. blood supply.

Blood is essential to the daily operation of a hospital. It is needed to treat trauma patients and replenish blood lost in surgeries. Treatment for some chronic diseases requires regular transfusions or components including platelets. Because blood has a limited shelf life, the medical system needs a continuous supply of donations to keep operating.

Officials say respiratory viruses don’t spread through blood, and blood centers hope getting the word out to donors that giving is safe will replenish stocks. The industry usually handles local shortages by moving supplies around, but the current drop in donations has affected inventory nationwide. The shortfall exposes another vulnerability in the complex supply chains that keep the medical system working.

Local Shortages

The San Diego Blood Bank on Monday had less than a two-day supply of most blood types, said spokeswoman Claudine Van Gonka. The center aims to have seven to 10 days on hand. While local shortages aren’t unprecedented, Van Gonka said she hasn’t seen such a widespread squeeze in her 25 years in the industry.

“The problem here is we don’t know when things are going to get better,” she said. “We’re not really sure how much worse this is all going to get.”

The first signs of trouble emerged in Seattle. As some schools there closed earlier this month for cleaning after possible exposure to the virus, donors started canceling appointments, said Curt Bailey, chief executive officer of Bloodworks Northwest. Workplace drives ceased when employers encouraged staff to work remotely.

By March 4, Bailey said, “the bottom had fallen out of our collections, and we didn’t know how much further it was going to degrade.”

The center put out an urgent call to media, public officials and other organizations, using the most dire language. “We said the blood supply is about to collapse; we got that out into the media,” Bailey said. “We’d never used that word before.”

Situation ‘Unraveling’

“We’ve never been in a situation where it was unraveling with so much speed,” he added. “As we looked around the nation and imagined the spread of the virus, it didn’t seem reasonable to assume that some other blood center was going to bail us out.”

Washingtonians responded with a surge of donations last week, and Bailey said inventory now is strong. But the need is ongoing.

Blood centers have sought to reassure people they can safely donate amid widespread uncertainty about the spread of the new pathogen and directions from government leaders to stay home.

The Food and Drug Administration says respiratory viruses aren’t known to be transmitted by receiving blood transfusions or giving blood. There are no reports of other types of coronaviruses being transmitted this way.

Still, blood centers say they’re increasing precautions to screen donors and increase physical space between people at collection sites. If donors develop symptoms after giving blood, they’re asked to call the center, which can quarantine and dispose of their donation.

The stress is beginning to hit some hospitals, which were already canceling elective surgeries to prepare for a possible surge of patients with Covid-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Northwell Health, New York’s largest system, typically tries to keep a six-to-seven day supply of blood on hand. That’s dropped by a day, a spokesman said. The health system also is concerned about the supply of platelets required for chemotherapy patients.

Sustained Donations Needed

Blood centers will need sustained donations in the months ahead. Last week, the Northern California Community Blood Bank in Eureka sent blood to Seattle to help alleviate the shortage there.

Now it is facing its own supply squeeze. People over 65 typically make up 38% of the center’s donors, and the state has advised them to remain at home. Schools and colleges that now are closed account for another quarter of donors.

“Now it’s not just Seattle,” said Kate Witthaus, the blood bank’s CEO. “Now it’s everybody.”

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