Pandemic fueled surge in superbug infections and deaths, CDC says

Sicker patients, antibiotic overuse, and staff and equipment shortages led to 15 percent increase

The coronavirus pandemic caused a surge in superbug infections and deaths in U.S. hospitals, reversing years of progress fighting one of the gravest public health challenges in modern medicine, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2020, the first year of the pandemic, infections and deaths among several serious pathogens increased about 15 percent overall from 2019, the report said. Infections of one especially dangerous drug-resistant bacteria that causes bloodstream and urinary tract infections skyrocketed 78 percent in one year.

The report analyzed antimicrobial resistance in the United States, focusing specifically on superbug infections that started in hospitals.

Public health efforts had driven down these resistant infections in hospitals by nearly 30 percent between 2012 and 2017.

More From The Washington Post (subscription required):