COVID-19: US Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance

The U.S. lost progress combating antimicrobial resistance in 2020 due, in large part, to effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC COVID-19: U.S. Impact on Antimicrobial Resistance, Special Report 2022, concluded that the threat of antimicrobial-resistant infections is not only still present but has gotten worse.

During the first year of the pandemic, more than 29,400 people died from antimicrobial-resistant infections commonly associated with healthcare. Of these, nearly 40% of the people got the infection while they were in the hospital.

The total national burden of deaths from antimicrobial resistance may be much higher, but data gaps caused by the pandemic hinder that analysis. CDC is missing data for nine of the 18 pathogens listed in its 2019 AR Threats Report. CDC’s 2019 estimates are still the strongest data to show the U.S. burden of antimicrobial resistance—at least 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections continue to occur in the U.S. each year and more than 35,000 people die as a result.

Download the report here