Do Not Take Antibiotics Without a Doctor's Prescription During Covid-19

Recently, the Ministry of Health has raised alarms about the misuse of antibiotics. Numerous cases have been reported where individuals, while infected with the coronavirus, have been taking antibiotics without consulting a doctor. Many learn from their acquaintances which medications to take and simply repeat the same actions. No two organisms are alike, and each person responds to the coronavirus in their own way, explains the advisor to the Minister.

Therefore, medications that have helped one person can be harmful to another. “According to guidelines and statistical data, only 3.5-8 percent of hospitalized patients with pneumonia have had a bacterial infection. This means that in 92 percent of cases involving viral pneumonia, the antibiotics prescribed are not beneficial and do not treat the condition,” says Samvel Hayriyan, an advisor on family medicine at the Ministry of Health.

According to the expert, the need for antibiotics arises when there is a secondary bacterial infection. Thus, they are indicated for those whose fever exceeds 38 degrees, who experience difficulty breathing, or whose oxygen levels in the lungs, otherwise known as saturation, are below 90 percent.