Study Finds No Benefit Associated With Antibiotic Treatment For Patients Hospitalized With Non-Severe COVID-19

MedPage Today (5/19) reports a retrospective cohort study found the “use of antibiotics in patients hospitalized with non-severe COVID-19 was not associated with better outcomes.” Researchers observed that “among more than half a million U.S. patients with COVID, those given antibiotics on their first day of hospitalization had a slightly higher rate of deterioration or death compared with those who didn’t receive antibiotics (20.8% vs 18.4%).” They noted the “difference didn’t meet criteria for being of clinical significance. However, a propensity-matched analysis did show a significantly higher odds of poor clinical outcomes for those who received antibiotics.” Researchers concluded, “Hopefully, studies like this will reduce this uncertainty and improve judicious antibiotic use, thus helping in the fight against antibiotic resistance.” The study was published in JAMA Network Open.