LAUSR

When the coronavirus pandemic caused widespread school and business closures in March 2020, blood drives were canceled and the supply of blood decreased suddenly in the United States (US). In response, hospital‐based transfusion medicine physicians instituted policies to conserve blood and decrease blood product usage. These efforts were aided by the US Surgeon General recommendation to cancel all elective procedures. Nevertheless, the duration, severity, and impact of the pandemic on the national blood supply was uncertain. Hospitals with in‐house donor programs had the opportunity not only to control demand, but also increase supply.