During the week of May 2 through May 8, 2021, 303 people became deceased organ donors nationwide, setting a new all-time record, according to data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), which serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network under federal contract.
This is the first time there have been more than 300 deceased donors in any single week in the United States. This record also exceeds other recent record-setting weeks, including 284 donors the week of March 21 through March 27, 2021. Deceased organ donation has continued a 10-year trend of annual record-setting increases, even despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in 2020.
“We are honored to carry out the wishes of an increasing number of Americans to save lives through organ donation,” said David Mulligan, M.D., president of the UNOS Board of Directors. “In doing so, we thank donor families who make or share the life-giving decision for their loved one, and the organ procurement organizations and transplant hospitals nationwide who work together to make transplants possible.”
