Blood donation during covid

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is having a considerable impact on every aspect of health facilities globally. One of them is a drastically reduced blood supply. Many of you may ask, is it safe to donate blood during the COVID-19 outbreak?

The importance of blood donation during the COVID-19 outbreak

According to reports from a number of media, blood stocks during the COVID-19 pandemic have drastically reduced in various countries, including Indonesia. Most areas in Indonesia are experiencing a shortage of blood supply, such as Surabaya, Bandung, and Yogyakarta.

This is due to an appeal from the government to reduce crowd-gathering activities which have led to reduced blood donation activities. As a result, the blood supply that continues to be used also decreases a lot and is considered insufficient because of too much expenditure rather than the intake of blood donors.

Some people may think that blood donation activities during the coronavirus pandemic feel unsafe because they have to share a room with other people. In fact, blood donation is safe.

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Actually, blood donation is really needed, especially during an outbreak like COVID-19. Although it may be that an infected patient does not really need it, there are other needs that make blood donation quite important.

Heart surgery, organ transplants, and the demand for platelets in cancer patients will not stop despite the pandemic.

According to Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross, blood donation is something that will continue to be needed. Moreover, if the outbreak worsens, of course the patients will need more blood transfusions and the supply will decrease.

Therefore, Red Cross organizations in various countries are asking people to donate their blood given the dwindling blood stock in the midst of this outbreak.

Blood donation rules during the coronavirus pandemic

Both blood donation during the coronavirus pandemic and when it does not occur, this activity is not carried out carelessly.

Reporting from the American Red Cross, the Red Cross's top priority is the safety of donors, employees, volunteer workers, and blood recipients. One thing to keep in mind is that until now there is no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted through blood transfusions.

However, there are some rules that are enforced by this organization when conducting blood donation activities carried out by each employee, such as:

• wear gloves and change them regularly
• clean the areas that donors touch
• use a sterilized storage area for each donation
• prepare the arm to be injected sterile from bacteria and viruses
• distributing questionnaires to ensure donors are healthy

In addition, they are also trying to increase awareness by changing several things when blood donation activities take place during the coronavirus, namely:

• more often clean equipment with disinfectant
• give hand sanitizer to be used prior to entry and during donor activities
• provide space between the beds to follow the recommendations physical distancing
• The blanket used by the donor will be washed after each use
• encourage donors to bring their own blankets because of the limited number

We try to keep some of the rules above during blood donation activities during the coronavirus pandemic. This aims to reduce the risk of virus transmission during donor activities and donors feel safe to give their blood.

No need to donate blood if you have related symptoms

Meanwhile, there is a dilemma related to elderly people over 65 years of age who have a higher risk of experiencing serious complications when infected with COVID-19.

The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also recommends that people who are at risk of developing this disease that attacks the respiratory tract avoid public places and stay at home more.

If you develop symptoms related to coronavirus such as fever, sore throat, cough and shortness of breath, it is not advisable to donate blood.

Although the blood storage area will often be disinfected, the Red Cross is trying to take extra precautions to reduce the risk of transmission. Therefore, blood donation cannot be done, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic is occurring.

In conclusion, donating blood during the COVID-19 pandemic is quite safe and takes a long time. Many blood donation centers can make an appointment ahead of time so you don't wait too long, such as calling a donor on the phone when everything is ready.