As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread in Africa, unprecedented
disruptions at all levels of human endeavours including healthcare delivery systems have been
recorded.
One of the major areas of healthcare systems affected is blood supply – a commodity
needed for the survival of many patients. Blood and blood products such as cryoprecipitate,
plasma, immune globulins, platelets, etc., are required for the management of medical conditions
including but not limited to trauma, renal impairment, cancer, sickle cell anaemia, haemorrhagic
shock, and other medical conditions related to acute or chronic loss of blood.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, health problems and accidents occur including maternal
morbidities, malnutrition, blood-transmitted infectious diseases (HIV and AIDS, hepatitis C virus
infection, hepatitis B virus infection, syphilis and anaemia-inducing infectious diseases such as
malaria, which is particularly worse in rainy seasons in countries such as Malawi and Nigeria,
kidney disease, liver disease, and cancer, etc.). Hence, blood donation shortages caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic are wrecking Africa’s already overwhelmed blood transfusion services and
are a guaranteed threat to a positive patient outcome, particularly for children under the age of 5,
who are the recipients of 54% of the 118.5 million blood collected in low-income countries.
In countries that rely on voluntary blood donations, particularly from students, the trends of
blood supply and donation are likely to decline in many other countries if the COVID-19 pandemic
continues. This will consequently and adversely affect beneficiaries in various hospitals,
particularly in countries whose sole blood donors are volunteers and students.