Antibiotic treatment for COVID-19 complications could fuel resistant bacteria

In her regular job, Priya Nori runs Montefiore Medical Center’s antibiotic stewardship program, and spends most of her time ensuring that the Bronx-based hospital doesn’t overuse the drugs and allow bacteria resistant to them to thrive. But like many physicians, Nori is now spending all of her time helping treat COVID-19 patients at her New York City hospital, which like other medical centers in the pandemic hot spot, is crowded with 50% more patients than normal. As part of that care, she and other doctors are administering many more antibiotics than normal, which is a recipe for the rapid rise or spread of resistant bacteria, especially given the crowded conditions.