Antibiotics not useful in treating Covid-19: Dr Faisal

An unprecedented increase in the use of antibiotics, especially azithromycin has been recorded in Pakistan during the pandemic where most of the Covid-19 patients are being prescribed the antibacterial medicine although they have ‘absolutely no role’ in treatment of viral infections like Covid-19, health officials and infectious diseases experts said. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Dr. Faisal Sultan said some specialists are prescribing medicines which don’t have globally accepted guidelines to support their usage. An infectious disease expert and consultant at the Aga Khan University Hospital Dr Faisal Mehmood also made it clear that there was no role of azithromycin or any other antibiotics in the treatment of Covid-19 and warned their use was causing more harm than any good. “We have no idea why antibiotics are so widely being prescribed for Covid-19 but most probably, lack of knowledge on how to use antibiotics could be one of the causes,” he said.