Data showing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on AMR is still emerging, but antibiotic prophylaxis has been a part of Covid management. Early on, this was due to reports from China suggesting a 50-95 per cent prevalence of secondary bacterial infections in Covid patients. However, by late spring of 2021, data from other countries suggested secondary bacterial infection prevalence rates of around 7-8 per cent.6 
In November 2020, the WHO warned that the long-term problem of antibiotics being used inappropriately by individuals and in health care settings was worsening. Contributing to this were factors such as a lack of Covid-specific guidelines resulting in broad-spectrum antibiotics being prescribed.6,7 
Behavioural insight research from nine European countries found increasing use of antibiotics. “Of those taking the antibiotics, 79–96 per cent reported not having been infected with Covid-19 but were taking antibiotics inappropriately, believing they would prevent infection,” said WHO. “Evidence indicates that up to 15 per cent of severely affected Covid-19 patients develop bacterial co-infection and could need antibiotics, whereas 75 per cent actually receive them.”7 
Another contributory factor for AMR is hospitalisation. Prolonged time in hospital and mechanical ventilation are the most common risk factors for developing super-infections, whether or not Covid is present. Global data indicates that mechanical ventilation was required in 21-88 per cent of Covid patients admitted to intensive care units, with potentially 75 per cent of Covid patients in ICU being prescribed antibiotics.8,9