Abstract

Purpose: Current guidance discourages use of antibiotics in COVID-19. However, in older adults, superadded infection may be common and require treatment. Our aim was to investigate the occurrence and outcomes from possible superadded infections, occurring within 2 weeks of hospitalization, in older adults with COVID-19. Methods: This was a single centre, observational cohort study. We collected data from patients admitted to older adult wards who had tested positive for the Sars-CoV-2 virus on viral PCR between 1st October and 1st December 2020. The primary outcome was inpatient death occurring within 90 days of COVID-19 diagnosis. The secondary outcome was length of stay in hospital. Associations were described using univariable and multivariable models, and time to event data. Results: Of 266 patients with COVID-19, 43% (115) had evidence of superadded infections (91 with positive bacterial cultures and 36 instances of radiological lobar consolidation). Patients with superadded infections were more likely to die (45.2 versus 30.7%, p = 0.020) and had an increased length of stay (23 versus 18 days, p = 0.026). Conclusions: Recommendations to avoid antibiotics in COVID-19 may not be applicable to an older adult population. Assessing for possible superadded infections is warranted in this group.