ABC News reported on June 20 that in the case of severe blood shortages across the country, some doctors are storing blood for the most critical patients. 

The influx of trauma patients related to violent crime, coupled with the backlog of rescheduled elective surgeries delayed in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, has exacerbated the shortage. 

"From personal experience, as a person who has worked in the field of blood transfusion medicine for many years, the current status of blood supply is the most worrying in my career," said Dr. Claudia Cohn, MD and MD. The American Association of Blood Banks told ABC. 

According to Red Cross data cited by ABC News, the demand for blood in hospitals with trauma centers has increased by 10% compared to 2019. In other facilities that provide blood transfusions, demand has increased more than five times.

"When the blood supply is insufficient, patients may be affected," Dr. Cohen said. "This means that it may not be possible to provide blood to all patients when needed, resulting in some patients not getting the best care." 

The shortage has caused some hospitals to prioritize which patients are most urgently needed. 

"We are screening according to the standards that have been established because all our products are now in a critical state," Xiomara Fernandez, MD, director of blood transfusion and coagulation medicine at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC, told the news media. "Any order that does not meet our threshold, so if someone has a platelet count of more than 50 [and orders a platelet transfusion], it is definitely a red flag."

Some hospitals in New England have also postponed operations due to staff shortages. 

"We haven't seen anything like this for at least about 30 or 40 years," Vishesh Chhibber, MD, director of blood transfusion medicine at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, told the Boston Globe. There, blood shortages caused several operations scheduled for June 7 to be postponed. 

If the shortage continues throughout the summer, experts worry that more elective surgeries may have to be cancelled, and blood transfusions for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy may need to be rescheduled. 

"For millions of patients around the world, blood is a vital life-saving therapy-the only source of blood is the generosity of donors," said Dr. Cohen. "We still have a long summer. It is a challenge to ensure adequate blood supply this week or next week." 

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