Impact of Coronavirus disease 2019 on organ donation and transplantation in France.

Legeai, Camille; Malaquin, Géraldine; Lamotte, Christian; Antoine, Corinne; Averland, Benoit; Jasseron, Carine; Bayer, Florian; Bastien, Olivier; Kerbaul, François

With 187 919 cases and 30 265 deaths by July 31, 2020, France was severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the two-month confinement that began in mid-March. Although donor-to-recipient transmission and increased recipient mortality had been suggested by then, transplant-specific data were scarce [1-6]. The French transplant agency (ABM), acting with the public health council and scientific societies, recommended prophylactic measures, authorising procurement only for donors with negative SARS-CoV-2 screening in the 24 hours before procurement, no COVID-specific lung abnormality on CT scan and no clinical symptoms of or exposure to it in the previous 28 days. Each recipient's transplantation risks and benefits were reassessed in this context. Kidney, intestinal, pancreatic, islet cell and tissue transplantations were temporarily suspended, except for paediatric grafts and combined transplants.