Antibiotic Stewardship in Hospitals During Public Health Emergencies

HCP should limit initiation of antibiotics – particularly broad-spectrum agents – for patients in acute care settings with high pre-test probability for a viral infection such as SARS-CoV-2 or influenza, even if there is lack of readily available and accurate diagnostics.

HCP may perform inflammatory marker tests at baseline, particularly in critically ill patients, including C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, D-dimer, serum ferritin, and high-sensitivity troponin.