A nationwide blood shortage spurred by the pandemic has worsened amid the reopening. The blood shortage was initially alleviated by a decreased demand during the lockdown. Credit: Courtesy of Versiti Blood Center of Ohio
A nationwide blood shortage spurred by the pandemic has worsened amid Ohio’s easing of public health restrictions.
Dr. Andy Thomas, chief medical officer at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State, said the blood shortage was initially eased by a decreased demand during the lockdown — in which there were fewer trauma cases and elective surgeries were delayed. But now, as restrictions lift and people become more active, hospitals are having a difficult time keeping up with demand for blood.
“That discordance between supply and demand really started to become noticeable in the middle of May, end of May, and to a greater degree in June,” Thomas said.
The Wexner Medical Center receives its blood from the Versiti Blood Center of Ohio. Heather Sever, director of donor services at Versiti, said the organization was hit hard by the pandemic.
Sever said Versiti’s donations are down more than 40 percent, or 20,000 units of blood. By comparison, Thomas said the hospital uses 65,000 units of blood products a year.
“All of our collections are done on mobile operations, meaning we don’t have a donor center. We actually go out into the public and go out into companies, churches, and we hold a blood drive at that site,” Sever said. “With COVID-19, a lot of companies, a lot of schools, a lot of churches have been closed.”
On top of the closures, Versiti’s remaining active blood drives yield much fewer donations than usual, Sever said. Under normal circumstances, they can expect to harvest 25-30 units of blood from a drive, but now they receive an average of one or two.
Sever said typically, Wexner Medical Center likes to have a three-day supply on hand but right now, they only have a one-day supply.
To combat the blood shortage, Thomas said the medical center has partnered with 40 other hospitals and health systems across 36 counties in Ohio. Each week, he joins a call with other chief medical officers and blood bank directors to ensure each hospital has enough blood in store.
Although the system is helping mitigate the issue, both Thomas and Sever said they are counting on the community to donate blood. Sever said more blood drives are slated to open as students return for the fall semester.
People can donate blood every eight weeks, up to six times a year, according to the Versiti website. Donors must be at least 110 lbs and cannot have received blood transfusion in the last three months, have a history of hepatitis B or C, have a high risk for HIV or AIDS, have ever taken Tegison or have used needles to take drugs not physician-prescribed in the last 3 months.
Individuals who would like to donate blood should visit the Versiti website to schedule an appointment. Sever said all donations will be used locally.
“One donation, one pint of blood, can save up to three lives,” Sever said. “You can make a huge impact on your community.”
