Shortage of blood work collection tubes could stretch into summer, says Eastern Health

While the demand for tools like medical equipment likemasks and gloves has been high over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Newfoundland and Labrador's health-care system isnow facing a different kind ofshortage.

Corey Murray, Eastern Health's regional director of laboratory medicine, says the province, like jurisdictionshas a shortage of tubes used in blood collection.

The health authority was notified of the tubes being on a rotating back order in December, meaning they may only be available week to week.

"Fortunately for Newfoundland, we have not ran into the same situation that we have seen in some other parts of Canada where they're running out of supplies," Murray said Tuesday."We have been able to maintain our supply and inventory to adequate levels to continue to provide services."

Murray says the shortage is due to pandemic-related issues within the supply chain and said both of the province's major suppliers of the tubes are affected.

It's led Eastern Health and the province's three other regional health authorities to ask physicians and other medical professionals to keep the shortage in mind when ordering tubes.

He said manufacturers expect the shortage to last into the summer.

During Wednesday's COVID-19 briefing, Health Minister John Haggiesaid the regional health authorities have anywhere from 23 to48 days' worth of supplyin its inventories.

He added health authorities have also restricted supply to outside agencies in order to conserve supply,madechanges to how many tubes are used and are exploring the prospect of getting multiple uses out of one tube.

While the volume of blood collection won't be affected in the short term, he said, how the shortage develops will ultimately depend on thepeople in the field.

"If somebody's coming in and is feeling healthy, and it's kind of like your annual checkup, those are the cases that we think you may not need to order that blood work,"he said.

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