A new analysis of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States during the first 6 months of the pandemic shows that more than half resulted in a patient receiving an antibiotic.The study by researchers with the Pew Charitable Trusts' antibiotic resistance project, also found that more than a third of admissions resulted in a patient being prescribed multiple antibiotics.
But only 29% of those admitted with the virus were diagnosed as having a bacterial infection.The findings of the study, which is the largest study to date on antibiotic use in US COVID-19 patients, add to the growing body of research on antibiotic prescribing during the early months of the pandemic.