Proactive strategies during a COVID-19 pandemic on regional center for blood transfusion in Oujda city and its impact on blood supply management

Abstract

At the end of March 2020, the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was declared a global pandemic. By mid-May, the number of confirmed cases had risen to more than 5 million and more than 300,000 deaths were reported worldwide. Morocco confirmed its first imported case of COVID-19 on March 2, 2020. As of May 31, 2020, there were 7550 confirmed cases of infection with this virus. Like many countries, this epidemic prompted the Moroccan government, as of 20 March 2020, to apply travel restrictions and suspend travel within and between cities to prevent the spread of the disease. These distancing measures have resulted in effective control of the virus. However, they also have a profound effect on the health system, relatively speaking, on blood donation and supply and the management of transfusion at the national level. In this context, on March 20, 2020, WHO provided guidance on the management of the blood supply. In addition, the National Centre for Blood Transfusion and Haematology (NCBTH) has accompanied the Regional Centers for Blood Transfusion (RCBT) of the kingdom through the implementation of a new strategy to deal with a possible shortage of blood supply. In response to such a situation, the Oujda Regional Center for Blood Transfusion (ORCBT) anticipated the development of a proactive regional strategy in collaboration with the Blood Donor Association of the Eastern Region (BDAER), and set up accompanying measures during the pandemic. The objective of this study is to describe the strategies undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic and their impact on all transfusion activities from blood collection, delivery, and transfusion of Labile Blood Products (LBPs). To achieve our objective, we performed a comparative prospective analytical study from January 1 to May 31 of 2019 and 2020 years at the ORCBT, located in the prefecture of Oujda Angad. The results of this study showed a positive impact, to some extent, of the strategies implemented, first on blood collection and then on the center′s safety stock, which remained at the same level despite the containment circumstances. Thus, the ORCBT carried out its mission by responding to the majority of requests for LBPs that were addressed to it with a satisfaction rate of over 90% for all health facilities in the eastern region during the study period.