Covid-19: Antimicrobial use was high during first wave despite bacterial co-infections being rare, study finds

Abstract

Measures to prevent the unnecessary use of antimicrobials—such as by restricting prescriptions until a bacterial infection has been confirmed through testing—should be incorporated into covid-19 patient care to help prevent a long term rise of drug resistant infections, researchers have said. [...]we now know that bacterial co-infection is uncommon in patients with community acquired covid-19. Since antimicrobial resistance remains one of the biggest public health challenges of our time, measures to combat it are essential to help ensure that these lifesaving medicines remain an effective treatment for infection in years to come.” Suggestions included tailoring the choice of antimicrobials to likely pathogens and local resistance patterns, as well as encouraging clinicians to discontinue antimicrobials if co-infection is deemed unlikely and tests confirm that patients do not have a bacterial infection.