Increased usage of antibiotics during Covid-19 can lead to more antimicrobial resistance, health experts of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences said, adding that the widespread use of hand-sanitisers and antimicrobial soaps can further worsen the situation.

Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of a pathogenic microbe to develop a resistance to the effects of an antimicrobial medication. It has been estimated that by 2050, about 10 million human lives could be at risk every year if drug resistance is not managed.