Update: Shift in thinking on azithromycin + plaquenil for patients with #coronavirus. Many received this regimen early on because azithro is part of standard rx for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (ceftriazone + azithro) & some patients appeared to have bacterial infection
With greater experience, however, we've observed very little co-infection with bacterial pathogens that are treated by azithro. Given risks associated with its use (arrhythmias, promotion of drug-resistant pathogens), many docs have pulled azithromycin from treatment regimens.
Note: VERY few specialists were impressed by the French study of plaquenil + azithromycin showing a decrease in viral load. I don't know any doctors in the United States who ever gave azithromycin based on that small study.
Doctors are still using antibiotics (ceftriaxone, pip/tazo, meropenem). We've noted very few cases of Staph pneumonia, so vancomycin isn't used much (unlike influenza). One of the basic questions we must answer during the pandemic is surprisingly complex: "Who needs antibiotics?"
