Bacterial infections found in higher-risk, hospitalized COVID-19 patientsHalf of 399 hospitalized COVID-19 patients developed bacterial infections 48 or more hours after hospitalization, according to a PLOS One study yesterday.
The bacterial superinfections were associated most strongly with lung disease, encephalopathy, mechanical ventilation, hospital stay of 8 or more days, and steroid treatment.From March to August 2020, the researchers looked at hospitalized COVID-19 patients at two clinics in Medellín, Colombia, who had at least one of the following risk factors: age over 60 years, diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, immunosuppression, or poor prognostic factors (eg, low white blood cells).