The COVID-19 pandemic has brought global suffering and loss, but every situation can ultimately bring a positive outcome. Healthcare systems alone have had to cope with an insufficient number of ventilators, a dearth of therapeutic treatments, lack of personal protective equipment for critical staff, and many of those staff becoming ill themselves. Society has yet to fully realize the socio-economic implications of having not been better prepared for this crisis.

Though outbreaks are inevitable, the magnitude of devastation is not, and many are looking ahead and putting interventions in place now to better weather the next one. Pathogen inactivation (PI) is one intervention health systems can incorporate to strengthen the safety and availability of the blood supply in several ways.