The National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) under the Health Ministry on 25th June 2020 has issued the second interim of the national guidelines for blood transfusion services in suppression of the first guidelines in the light of Covid-19 pandemic.
As per the new guidelines Individuals with a history of contact with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases, including those under quarantine, should be deferred from donating blood for 28 days from the last time they came in close contact with a COVID-risk person.
The use of convalescent plasma for routine treatment of COVID-19 patients and the guidelines for collection of convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients for the treatment of such cases will be issued as and when the efficacy of this form of treatment is established and approved by competent bodies.
Further for maintaining safe blood supplies, it is recommended that in-house blood donation, as well as outdoor blood donation activities, may be continued, while ensuring compliance with extant social distancing norms, mass gathering rules, infection control guidelines and biomedical waste disposal rules.
Blood center and camp organizers should educate staff and donors on these measures and provide facilities like running water, soap, hand sanitizers, personal protective equipment, color-coded dustbins.
Protocols for proper cleaning of equipment used during the blood donation should be maintained.
Click here to read the guidelines.
