WHO: ‘Just in case’ antibiotics widely overused during COVID-19

On Friday, the World Health Organization reported widespread misuse of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to potential antimicrobial resistance.

According to WHO, despite only 8% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients needing antibiotics for bacterial co-infections, 75% were still given antibiotics as a precaution.

The world organization added that antibiotic use varied by region, with the highest rates (83 per cent) in the Eastern Mediterranean and African Regions.

The misuse of antibiotics was most common in severe or critical COVID-19 cases, with 81% globally, and in mild or moderate cases, with the highest use in the African Region at 79%.

The findings are based on data from the WHO Global Clinical Platform for COVID-19, an anonymized clinical data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

Data was collected from some 450. 000 patients admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 in 65 countries over a three-year period between January 2020 and March 2023.