Antimicrobials 💊 are still being misused to treat COVID infections, so countries must promote clear, evidence-based treatment guidelines so clinicians 👨🏾⚕️👩🏻⚕️ know when these drugs are recommended.
We’ve been pleased to see many countries maintain and expand their surveillance systems during the pandemic, and we encourage them to leverage these lab 🔬networks to track antimicrobials resistance 🧫 for the foreseeable future.
Health 🩺 professionals everywhere should practice responsible use of antimicrobials 💊 and prescribe antimicrobials only when needed, because misusing these drugs is harmful to patients and to public health.
Antimicrobials 💊 have also been misused outside of hospital settings.
Drugs such as Ivermectin, Azithromycin and Chloroquine were broadly used as unproven treatments, even after we had strong evidence that they had no benefit to COVID patients.
Limited availability of gloves and gowns, and changes in cleaning and disinfection practices were other factors that led to infections 🦠 spreading more quickly.
A rise in the use of invasive procedures such as intubation or ventilation, the use of antimicrobials 💊 and other drugs, overcrowding, and underlying conditions such as diabetes or obesity increased the risks for patients for bacterial and fungal infections
