Organ transplants decrease during coronavirus pandemic

NORTHEAST FLORIDA — According to a new study by the medical journal, The Lancet, organ transplants have significantly dropped during the pandemic.

In early April, organ transplants dropped by 51.1% in the U.S. and 90.6% in France, compared to a month earlier.

A local man with COPD said his single lung transplant was delayed when the pandemic hit Northeast Florida.

“When COVID broke out, I called all the coordinators with Mayo Clinic in March to see what to expect,” Dennis Wilkerson said. “Their expectations were they slowed down because of the COVID with all of the hospitals across the country that could be donating organs coming from, they said it would be held back some. Everything was in question.”

Right when Wilkerson lost hope, he received a phone call from his doctors at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. He said they had a lung and scheduled his surgery for Monday.

“They gave us a real quick talk when we first got there, saying this lung that was donated will be tested thoroughly for everything. I had previously been immunized for many other things, Hep A and B, everything,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson has been recovering at Gabriel House of Care in Jacksonville since the surgery. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wilkerson said he’s tested at least once a week.

“Both (Mayo Clinic and Gabriel House of Care) have set up very tight protocols on what they do. I’m protecting those doctors just like they’re protecting me,” Wilkerson said.

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