Beware: COVID-19 may put you at risk of antibiotic resistant bacterial infections

COVID-19, caused by a new variant of coronavirus, is one infection that can put you at greater risk of secondary bacterial infection. But antibiotic resistance is the problem here.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up new challenges for healthcare professionals. Experts are trying to deal will the many complications and symptoms of this deadly contagion. At the same time, scientists are desperately trying to develop a vaccine of the highly contagious diseases which has morphed into a global health crisis in a very short span of time. But till now, though there have been many hopeful leads, no cure has been found yet. Most doctor are running blind here and trying up different combinations of treatment that can help patients. But all this may just lead to another medical crisis. Medical professionals are slowly waking up to the dangers of antibiotic resistance in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antibiotic resistance is a real problem in the world today and it affects many patients of bacterial infections . Most superbugs are killed by antibiotics but some of them have developed a resistance to antibiotics. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics is often the reason for this. Hospitals are breeding grounds for these so-called superbugs and many people catch these infections after hospitalization.

Danger of bacterial infection if you have COVID-19

If you are already suffering from any viral infection, you may be at a greater risk of bacterial infection too. COVID-19, caused by a new variant of coronavirus, is one infection that can put you at greater risk of secondary bacterial infection. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 29 to 55 per cent of the fatalities of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic was because of secondary bacterial infection. This happens because your immunity is also compromised after a viral infection. It is very easy for complex and hard-to-treat bacteria to invade your body in such a scenario.

According to some studies, a significant number of patients who test positive for the novel coronavirus and are hospitalized for it may go on to acquire some bacterial infection. Experts say that, though the exact figures are not known, as many as 50 per cent of such patients may have succumbed to their infections. In most of these cases, antibiotic resistance may have played a big role.

Secondary infections in COVID-19 patients

Many COVID-19 patients in hospitals get secondary infections. Experts fear that multidrug-resistant bacteria are among the germs that are causing these secondary infections. This has a direct impact on patients' mortality. In fact, data from Wuhan, China, shows that almost half of all COVID-19 patients who died also suffered from a secondary infection. Experts say that antibiotic resistant bacteria may have caused more deaths in the current pandemic than the virus itself.

Moreover, the antibiotic resistance crisis may be further fueled by the widespread use of antibiotics in COVID-19 patients because more than 90 per cent of COVID-19 patients are also receiving anti-bacterial treatment. This increase in the use of antibiotics may apply a strong selective pressure on bacteria to evolve resistance. Experts fear that this may lead to an increase in the incidence of drug-resistant infections even after the pandemic subsides.