What you need to know about antibiotics and the treatment of COVID-19
Can you take antibiotics to treat or prevent COVID-19? Here is what the experts have to say.
Antibiotics are medications used to fight infections caused by bacteria.
Some of the infections include whooping cough, strep throat, as well as bladder and kidney infections.
Antibiotics come in different forms and can mostly be bought with a prescription.
READ: Minister: "Antibiotics need to be used wisely"
Can antibiotics be used to treat the coronavirus?
The coronavirus is taking millions of lives and health officials are still looking for treatment.
According to the World Health Organisation: “Antibiotics do not work against viruses, they only work on bacterial infections.”
The site states that “COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work.”
The health site warns against the use of antibiotics as a means of prevention or treatment of COVID-19
READ: 'Dangerously high' antibiotic resistance levels worldwide
Why your doctor might give you antibiotics when infected with COVID-19
According to the World Health Organisation, you might be given an antibiotic to prevent secondary bacterial infections caused by complications of the coronavirus.
“In hospitals, physicians will sometimes use antibiotics to prevent or treat secondary bacterial infections which can be a complication of COVID-19 in severely ill patients. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection,” states the World Health Organisation.
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