# Levees for a hundred-year flood: impact of a syndrome-based antimicrobial stewardship intervention for coronavirus disease 2019 on antimicrobial use and resistance

## TL;DR

A syndrome-based antimicrobial stewardship program reduced unnecessary antibiotic use and resistance during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

## Contribution

A new antimicrobial stewardship approach targeting LRTI therapy selection and duration reduced AU and AMR.

## Key findings

- The program led to reduced antimicrobial use during the pandemic.
- It also contributed to a decrease in antimicrobial resistance.
- The approach focused on syndrome-based treatment of LRTIs.

## Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 can be indistinguishable from lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) caused by other viral and bacterial agents. This likely contributed to antimicrobial use (AU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) during the pandemic. Our antimicrobial stewardship program targeted the selection and duration of therapy for LRTIs and led to a reduction in AU and AMR.