Developed by the Respiratory Health Implementation Group, the Antibiotic management of patients with suspected COVID-19 admitted from the community provides a structured approach to determine whether the patient with suspected COVID-19 has a superadded bacterial infection or community acquired pneumonia.
Key recommendations:
- Using chest x-ray and blood tests to determine the likelihood of COVID-19, COVID-19 with superadded (aka secondary) bacterial infection, or community acquired pneumonia (CAP)
- Risk stratify patients for sepsis using the CURB-65 score, and treated with antibiotics accordingly
- Ongoing antibiotic management determined by the result of the COVID-19 result