75% of hospitalized patients with COVID were treated with antibiotics in the pandemic, although only 8% needed them (WHO)

75% of hospitalized patients with COVID were treated with antibiotics in the pandemic, although only 8% needed them (WHO)

The overuse of antibiotics in the pandemic has exacerbated antimicrobial resistance, warns the WHO, which shows that 75% of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 received such drugs, although only 8% of cases needed them.

Not all patients with COVID-19 require antibiotics: PHOTO Shutterstock

During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was excessive use of antibiotics in hospitalized patients, which could have exacerbated a “silent” spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to an announcement made by the World Health Organization on Friday. Health (WHO), according to EFE, quoted by Agerpres.

Despite the fact that only 8% of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 also had bacterial infections requiring antibiotics, these drugs were used in three out of four patients (75%).

The phrase “just in case” hides threats

Administration of antibiotics “just in case” could have increased antimicrobial resistance, a public health problem that the WHO considers one of the main future threats to global health, as according to 2019 figures it directly caused 1.27 million deaths and contributed to another 4.19 million deaths worldwide.

Adrian Stoica

Adrian Stoica

Adrian is the founder and the visionary behind Cluj Napoca, a media platform committed to capturing and sharing the vibrant stories of Cluj-Napoca and Romania with an international audience. A graduate in international journalism from the University of Bucharest and holder of a Master’s in Cultural Studies from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Adrian has a robust educational background that equips him to understand and analyze the complexities of his native region's culture and history.