The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
Three out of four patients have been treated with antibiotics during the pandemic “just in case” they help: WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that there was widespread misuse of antibiotics throughout the global COVID-19 pandemic that has potentially fuelled the propagation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
While only eight percent of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 had bacterial co-infections requiring antibiotics, three out of four patients were given them, “just in case” they helped.
“The advice was very clear right from the start. This was a virus. So it wasn't that that there was a guidance or recommendation that clinicians go in this direction,” said Dr Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson, at a news briefing at UN Geneva. “But perhaps because people were dealing with something completely new, they were looking for whatever they thought might be appropriate.”
Antibiotic use ranged from 33 per cent for patients in the Western Pacific Region to 83 per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean and the African Regions. Between 2020 and 2022, prescriptions decreased over time in Europe and the Americas, while they increased in Africa.
The highest rate of antibiotic use was seen among patients with severe or critical COVID-19, with a global average of 81 per cent. In mild or moderate cases, there was a considerable variation across regions, with the highest use in the African Region, at 79 per cent.
“The only time you would use antibiotics when you've got a viral infection is if you had a secondary, proven, bacterial infection that was sensitive to those antibiotics,” said Dr. Harris. “So in other words, there were not being used appropriately. […] The main harm, of course, is that if you are using antibiotics, you're unnecessarily you're increasing the likelihood of antimicrobial resistance to those particular antibiotics so that when you do need them for your bacterial infection, they are no longer so useful.”
WHO said it was concerning that its study found that the antibiotics used had higher antimicrobial resistance potential than others that were available.
“If you give somebody a medication that they don't actually need, you are always exposing them to an unnecessary risk,” explained Dr. Harris. “Every time you treat a person for any illness with any medication, a doctor will balance will this medication do the job and prevent whatever the disease is and is that a more important outcome than any of the potential risks.”
These findings are based on data from the WHO Global Clinical Platform for COVID-19, an anonymized clinical data from patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Data was collected from some 450. 000 patients admitted to hospitals for COVID-19 in 65 countries over a three-year period between January 2020 and March 2023.
The findings are being presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global Congress, taking place in Barcelona, Spain from 27 to 30 April.
-ends-
STORY: Overuse of antibiotics during COVID-19 - WHO
TRT: 1:48”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 April 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior med shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot: speaker at the podium during press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “The advice was very clear right from the start. This was a virus. So it wasn't that that there was a guidance or recommendation that clinicians go in this direction. But perhaps because people were dealing with something completely new, they were looking for whatever they thought might be appropriate.”
- Med shot: Camera woman filming
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “The only time you would use antibiotics when you've got a viral infection is if you had a secondary, proven, bacterial infection that was sensitive to those antibiotics. So in other words, there were not being used appropriately. If you like the harm, the main harm, of course, is that if you are using antibiotics, you're unnecessarily you're increasing the likelihood of antimicrobial resistance to those particular antibiotics so that when you do need them for your bacterial infection, they are no longer so useful.”
- Med shot: journalist behind screen
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “If you give somebody a medication that they don't actually need, you are always exposing them to an unnecessary risk. Every time you treat a person for any illness with any medication, a doctor will balance will this medication do the job and prevent whatever the disease is and is that a more important outcome than any of the potential risks.”
- Wide shot: Journalists in the press room with camerawoman and technicians behind screen
- Med shot, journalist listening in press briefing
- Med shot, camerawoman filming
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A new UN Human Rights report published on Tuesday details the human rights impacts of the expanding reach of gangs in Haiti. According to data verified by the Office, at least 5,519 people were killed in Haiti, and 2,608 were injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado on Tuesday described the deadly impact of drone strikes in Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Sudan: Hospital strike highlights surge in drone attacks on civilians
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.