Blood transfusion services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Authors : Siti Salmah Noordin, Narazah Mohd Yusoff, Faraizah Abdul Karim, Soon Eu Chong

Titles of Publication : Blood transfusion services amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

Journal Name : Journal of Global Health

Quartile : Q1

Impact Factor : 2.899

Link : http://www.jogh.org/documents/2021/jogh-11-03053.pdf

Description : The year 2020 marked the beginning of a major change in the way we humans live and interact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The causative agent of this disease is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Due to the relatively mild symptoms in the early phase of infection, a long incubation period and a high infectivity rate, SARS-COV-2 has spread at lightning speed globally. To date, the number of COVID-19 cases has exceeded 120 million globally and continues to rise exponentially with a fatality ratio of 0.5%–1.0%, and this ratio increases with age. Despite headlines on COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, the ability of the virus to mutate leaves many uncertainties particularly with regard to the efficacies of vaccines and treatments. Healthcare services, including blood transfusion, have been significantly affected. This review aims to discuss the impact and suggest the best practice for transfusion services in this era of new norms.