U.S. Blood Supply and the COVID-19 Response: In Brief [May 28, 2020]

From the Summary: The nation's blood supply is largely managed by a network of independent blood centers and the American Red Cross, with some oversight from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) These private organizations collect blood product donations (e g , whole blood, plasma, and platelets) from individual volunteers through scheduled appointments, walk-in appointments, and blood drives Independent blood centers and the American Red Cross each collect nearly half of blood products nationwide, with the remainder collected in hospital settings The response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed significant challenges for maintenance of the U S blood supply Mitigation strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as closures of schools and workplaces, have led to blood drive cancellations at the places where such events are often held In addition to blood drive cancellations, individual state stay-at-home orders and general fear of contracting the COVID-19 virus might dissuade individuals from scheduling appointments to donate blood COVID-19 (Disease);Blood donors