Abstract

As microorganisms accumulate genetic changes in their susceptibility to currently available antimicrobial drugs over time, they eventually cease to respond to them, which makes diseases more difficult to treat and increases the risk of infection spreading to other people. This phenomenon is known as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Around 7 million people die each year due to AMR globally, and if immediate action is not taken to stop the spread of drug-resistant microbes, this figure is predicted to rise to 10 million by the year 2050. Around 70 percent of hospital admissions and 80 to 100 percent of COVID-19-related emergency room stays involve the usage of antibiotics, which adds to the burden of AMR globally. This article offers insight into the underlying causes of AMR during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a critical viewpoint on how the coexistence of COVID-19 disease and AMR occurs and their interaction with one another. In general, four major factors contributed to the rapid emergence of AMR during the COVID-19 pandemic: nosocomial and secondary bacterial, fungal, and fungus infections or coinfections; excessive use of antimicrobial drugs and steroids, and biocides; and compromised healthcare services due to periodic increases in COVID-19 cases. The current article reiterates the urgent need for multifaceted interventions because AMR will continue to be a problem after the COVID-19 pandemic. These interventions should be designed to lessen the synergistic interactions between the primary SARSCoV- 2 infection and co-occurring microorganisms, to enable cross-management of the twin diseases, and to move society towards sustainable development growth.