COVID-19 Patients Need to be Tested for Bacteria and Fungi, Not Just the Coronavirus

COVID-19 Patients Need to be Tested for Bacteria and Fungi, Not Just the Coronavirus

4 years ago
Anonymous $9CO2RSACsf

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/covid-19-patients-need-to-be-tested-for-bacteria-and-fungi-not-just-the-coronavirus/

In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals are relying on tests capable of delivering reliable results, minimizing transmission risk and reducing time to treatment in the patients who need it most. Doctors are laser-focused on obtaining and using these tests to identify and treat patients with coronavirus. Yet the emerging risk of co-infections is pressuring hospitals to broaden their patient testing portfolios to address new mortality risks.

Many studies have already found that a significant number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have and are continuing to develop dangerous secondary bacterial co-infections such as bacterial pneumonia and sepsis. Rapid diagnostic tests that identify the presence of bacterial or fungal infections and drug-resistant pathogens can and will play a critical role in the ongoing public health response to COVID-19.