The Pandemic’s Effect on the Registry
Coronavirus. A word most of us know by now. A word that’s feared by so many people. A word that has altered nearly every aspect of our life for the past 6 months. The coronavirus pandemic has not only transformed the way we go about our everyday life, but it has also greatly affected the lives of both patients seeking a match and donors who are willing to donate. In today’s blog post, we will be discussing the pandemic’s effect on the registry, zeroing in on how it has affected both patients and donors.
How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Affected Patients:
-Isolation in the Hospital: To begin with, patients struggling with a blood disease or blood disorder have much lower immunity. Due to this, patients at the hospital are in a much more compromised state and have to take extreme precautions to isolate themselves from those who may have been in contact with COVID-19. Oftentimes, patients even have to isolate themselves from family members to keep each other safe. This has left numerous patients considerably much lonelier and distanced from their loved ones.
-Delayed Time in Finding a Match: The process of patients finding their match is much more delayed as donors have difficulties in committing to the registry. This will be explained further in-depth in the paragraph below. It’s also important to note that as a result of this delay in finding their match, patients have begun to lose hope of recovering, while simultaneously having to continue their current treatments.
How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Affected Donors:
-Delay in Joining the Registry: For donors, a majority of the registration process has switched to an online initiative. The Bone Marrow Registry is so fortunate to have this opportunity to continue to register and swab willing donors from the comfort of one’s couch. However, before the pandemic, most swabbing was done at in-person swab drives where it was quick and easy to take the swab kits back and logged into the registry. Especially at this time, it takes much longer to receive a swab kit after ordering one (free-of-charge) online than it would usually take, to remain safe and nearly contactless. After that, it takes nearly 6 weeks for the swab kits to be returned and officially added to the registry.
-Donation Cancellation: Last but not least, donors who are called to donate during difficult times like these are much more inclined to withdraw due to a fear of contracting the virus at the hospital. It can be strenuous to undergo donation or surgery especially during a time when you would not want your body to feel weak. Some fear that they may contract COVID-19 due to this lower strength and the environment that the donation process takes place in. Rest assured is that patients dealing with COVID-19 are completely separated from the rest of the hospital and the donation process is not as burdensome to the body as it may seem. If you would like to read more regarding the donation process, please visit our previous blog post of a Q&A giving the reality of the donation process.
Not only this, but the coronavirus pandemic has had an immense impact on those working at Be The Match headquarters as well. They have had to change their approach of spreading the word and the way they attend to both patients and donors at this time. If you would like to hear more about the pandemic’s effect on Be The Match headquarters, please be on the lookout for a blog post on A Professional’s Perspective featuring Ms. Erica Jenson, the Senior Vice President of Member Engagement, Enrollment, and Experience.
Be on the lookout for our next blog post on September 12!
