Antibiotic use in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 has no beneficial effect
Analysis of over 1,300 German adults hospitalised with moderate COVID-19 finds treatment with antibiotics was associated with five times greater likelihood of COVID-19 deterioration compared to patients not given antibiotics. To explore this further, Dr Friedrichs and colleagues analysed data on 1,317 hospitalised adults (median age 59 years; 38% women) with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 2020 and May 2023 from the German National Pandemic Cohort Network (NAPKON), which includes patients from various hospitals across Germany who were hospitalised with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Using the WHO Clinical Progression Scale [1], they identified 1,149 patients who were classified as having moderate disease (WHO score 4-5), of whom 467 (41%) were treated with antibiotics commonly used for respiratory infections such as ß-Lactam-antibiotics, macrolides, or moxifloxacin during their hospital stay. A further 168 patients were classed as having severe disease (WHO…





