Pandemic led to 20-per-cent drop in organ transplants

Doctors in Quebec have erred on the side of caution in a bid to protect organ transplant receivers as much as possible.

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A lack of knowledge by doctors on how the virus affected those who are immunocompromised was to blame for a sharp decrease in transplants last year.

In an interview, the medical director of Transplant Québec, Matthew Weiss said doctors erred on the side of caution at the beginning of the pandemic last year in a bid to protect organ transplant receivers as much as possible. That contributed to a 20-per-cent decline in the number of patients who received transplants compared with the previous year.

However, in time it was determined the risk to those who are immunocompromised was minimal, and the procedure is quite safe, Weiss said. Although specialists will not take organs from someone who died of COVID-19 in order to reduce risk as much as possible.

“The situation is more delicate when there is a resolved COVID case,” Weiss said. That’s something that we evaluate on a case-by-case basis, because there are still some risks, but they are very much diminished. There’s also a risk to rejecting an organ.”

Weiss said there have not been any cases of people contracting the virus from an organ donation in Quebec, and it’s a very rare occurrence worldwide — occurring mostly when testing procedures were less developed.

Patients waiting for an organ, even those who are immunocompromised, are told to get vaccinated. However, the vaccine may be less efficient for them, he said, adding it would not be dangerous to do so.