By writer to boston.cbslocal.com
BOSTON (CBS) — Bob Shields is on sturdy immunosuppressant medication to verify his physique doesn’t reject the kidney his son donated to him final yr. The 77-year-old mentioned these medication make him much more susceptible to COVID-19.
“With the intention to preserve your physique from kicking out that kidney, they suppress the immune system dramatically, which places me in a fairly radical class for this coronavirus going round,” Shields mentioned.
Organ recipients and people ready to obtain organ transplants are dealing with new challenges due to the coronavirus.
Alexandra Glazier, the President and CEO of New England Donor Providers, mentioned her group is now attempting to check donated organs for COVID-19 to guard immunocompromised sufferers.
“We’re screening out potential donors the place there’s a chance that there’s been a COVID publicity,” Glazier mentioned.
Like many different well being suppliers, NEDS can be dealing with a scarcity of assessments and different protecting tools.
“Our employees wants private protecting tools, PPE, and we’re all conscious there’s a scarcity of PPE,” mentioned Glazier.
NEDS works with over 200 hospitals in six states and Glazier additionally worries that a few of them may postpone organ donation surgical procedures as they face an inflow of coronavirus circumstances.
“Nationally, there was some clarification that transplantation is important and never an elective surgical procedure now, in fact, you possibly can’t have organ transplantation with out organ donation,” Glazier defined.
She additionally mentioned it is crucial for the general public to know the necessity for organ transplants has not diminished due to the coronavirus disaster.
“We nonetheless have many, many sufferers nationally and right here in New England which can be ready and dying ready for an organ transplant.”
— to boston.cbslocal.com
