The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa
Background. The COVID‐19 pandemic, first reported in December 2019, affected every sector of every country worldwide. Health services were the first to experience the direct impact. Blood services were advised to decrease blood utilisation in anticipation of reduced blood collections. The South...
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South African Medical Association
2024-11-01
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| Series: | South African Medical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/2001 |
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| author | R Swanevelder P-L Wessels V J Louw A Swarts M Lennards K van den Berg |
| author_facet | R Swanevelder P-L Wessels V J Louw A Swarts M Lennards K van den Berg |
| author_sort | R Swanevelder |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Background. The COVID‐19 pandemic, first reported in December 2019, affected every sector of every country worldwide. Health services were the first to experience the direct impact. Blood services were advised to decrease blood utilisation in anticipation of reduced blood collections. The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) saw a substantial decline in blood demand following the institution of strict national lockdown measures, but the impact of the epidemic and various mitigation strategies remained unknown.
Objective. This retrospective study reviews red blood cell (RBC) utilisation during a 4‐year period from 2019 to 2022 in the South African (SA) population, stratified by public and private healthcare sectors.
Methods. To measure the impact of COVID‐19, blood utilisation pre COVID‐19 was compared with an acute COVID‐19 period and a post‐acute period. Each period covered 450 days. Blood utilisation was evaluated against the background of reported COVID‐19 cases and national lockdown regulations.
Results. With the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, overall RBC utilisation dropped by ~17%. The initial decline was more pronounced in the public sector. Overall, utilisation recovered to pre‐COVID‐19 levels in the post‐acute COVID‐19 period, but at different rates in the public and private sectors.
Conclusion. There was a significant change in RBC utilisation during the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic, much more pronounced in the public sector, which services 85% of the SA population. During the post‐acute COVID‐19 period, blood utilisation recovered, but at a much slower rate in the public sector. The COVID‐19 pandemic accentuated the differences in blood utilisation patterns between the public and private healthcare sectors in SA, and each sector’s resilience in adapting to the challenges of the epidemic.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6a67b0f18aa64cc4bb23784b6472cdf3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0256-9574 2078-5135 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | South African Medical Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | South African Medical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-6a67b0f18aa64cc4bb23784b6472cdf32025-02-10T12:25:34ZengSouth African Medical AssociationSouth African Medical Journal0256-95742078-51352024-11-011141110.7196/SAMJ.2024.v114i11.2001The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South AfricaR Swanevelder0P-L Wessels1V J Louw2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-3342A Swarts3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8302-1178M Lennards4K van den Berg5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9805-8013Medical Division, South African National Blood Service, Roodepoort, South AfricaMedical Division, South African National Blood Service, Roodepoort, South Africa; Division of Clinical Haematology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaDivision of Clinical Haematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South AfricaMedical Division, South African National Blood Service, Roodepoort, South AfricaOperations Division, South African National Blood Service, Roodepoort, South AfricaMedical Division, South African National Blood Service, Roodepoort, South Africa; Division of Clinical Haematology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa; Division of Clinical Haematology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa Background. The COVID‐19 pandemic, first reported in December 2019, affected every sector of every country worldwide. Health services were the first to experience the direct impact. Blood services were advised to decrease blood utilisation in anticipation of reduced blood collections. The South African National Blood Services (SANBS) saw a substantial decline in blood demand following the institution of strict national lockdown measures, but the impact of the epidemic and various mitigation strategies remained unknown. Objective. This retrospective study reviews red blood cell (RBC) utilisation during a 4‐year period from 2019 to 2022 in the South African (SA) population, stratified by public and private healthcare sectors. Methods. To measure the impact of COVID‐19, blood utilisation pre COVID‐19 was compared with an acute COVID‐19 period and a post‐acute period. Each period covered 450 days. Blood utilisation was evaluated against the background of reported COVID‐19 cases and national lockdown regulations. Results. With the onset of the COVID‐19 pandemic, overall RBC utilisation dropped by ~17%. The initial decline was more pronounced in the public sector. Overall, utilisation recovered to pre‐COVID‐19 levels in the post‐acute COVID‐19 period, but at different rates in the public and private sectors. Conclusion. There was a significant change in RBC utilisation during the course of the COVID‐19 pandemic, much more pronounced in the public sector, which services 85% of the SA population. During the post‐acute COVID‐19 period, blood utilisation recovered, but at a much slower rate in the public sector. The COVID‐19 pandemic accentuated the differences in blood utilisation patterns between the public and private healthcare sectors in SA, and each sector’s resilience in adapting to the challenges of the epidemic. https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/2001COVID-19; blood utilisation; South Africa; blood products; |
| spellingShingle | R Swanevelder P-L Wessels V J Louw A Swarts M Lennards K van den Berg The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa South African Medical Journal COVID-19; blood utilisation; South Africa; blood products; |
| title | The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa |
| title_full | The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa |
| title_fullStr | The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa |
| title_short | The COVID-19 pandemic and blood utilisation in South Africa |
| title_sort | covid 19 pandemic and blood utilisation in south africa |
| topic | COVID-19; blood utilisation; South Africa; blood products; |
| url | https://samajournals.co.za/index.php/samj/article/view/2001 |
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