Several articles in publication in 2020 are looking closely at the potential direct and indirect effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection on the ongoing problem of antimicrobial resistance.

Before 2019, antimicrobial resistance was already recognized as a growing global health threat; the pandemic spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) led to a potential escalation of both health crises, as antibiotics are widely being used to treat various symptoms of COVID-19.