Tackling antimicrobial resistance in the COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19: Second Wave or Multiple Peaks, Natural Herd Immunity or Vaccine – We Should be Prepared

“…When preparing for a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases, increasing critical care unit bed capacity, coupled with an increase in the number of mechanical ventilation devices, is crucial [70,71]. Budget planning for procurement of personal protective equipment and alcohol-based hand sanitizers, as well as preparedness for potential worsening staff shortage is also required for such circumstances [71][72][73] Coupling infection prevention and control measures with antibiotic stewardship additionally limits the emergence and spread of difficult-to-treat multidrug-resistant organisms [75,76]. This is the time when rigorous implementation of infection control and antibiotic stewardship is mostly required in preparation of a potential surge in the need for critical care beds and mechanical ventilation therapy.…”

Will coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have an impact on antimicrobial resistance?

“…While experts have warned of the link between COVID-19 and AMR [3][4][5][6][7][8], studies report conflicting evidence. Several studies-from, in particular, Germany, Italy and the US-have reported outbreaks or an increase in infections with and/or acquisition of multidrug-resistant bacteria during the COVID-19 pandemic [9][10][11][12].…”

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and antibiotic stewardship: Using a systems engineering approach to maintain patient safety

“…This SEIPS-based approach provides flexibility for teams to evaluate their own work-system-specific barriers and facilitators to antibiotic stewardship practices within their COVID-19 response. 9 Teams can then develop strategies to support antibiotic stewardship within the individual work system to optimize patient and organizational outcomes.…”