Covid-19 alters antibiotic use

The long-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) remains difficult to predict. Infectious diseases consultant Professor Alison Holmes said Covid-19 has impacted on antibiotic use in hospitals and across the wider community, but more research is needed to fully assess the extent and implications.

Holmes discussed the subject in detail in her presentation ‘Healthcare associated infection, antibiotic use, drug resistance and Covid-19’, to the 73rd annual congress of the German Society for Hygiene and Microbiology, with a focus on bacterial infections, antibiotic use, hospital-onset Covid infection and how that should be tackled, and healthcare associated infections (HCAI) in individuals with and without Covid-19.