Antibiotic prescribing in patients with COVID-19: rapid review and meta-analysis

06 January 2021

The proportion of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 that are prescribed antibiotics is uncertain, and may contribute to patient harm and global antibiotic resistance. Our objective was to estimate the prevalence and associated factors of antibiotic use in patients with confirmed COVID-19.

Three-quarters of patients with COVID-19 receive antibiotics, prescribing is significantly higher than the estimated prevalence of bacterial co-infection. Unnecessary antibiotic use is likely high in patients with COVID-19.

Further reading: Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Author(s): Bradley J. Langford, PharmD Miranda So, PharmD Sumit Raybardhan, BScPhm MPH Valerie Leung, BScPhm MBA Jean-Paul R. Soucy, MSc Duncan Westwood, BA Nick Daneman, MD, MSc Derek R. MacFadden, MD, ScD

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