Superbug infections, deaths rose at beginning of pandemic

By MIKE STOBBE
AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say the toll of drug-resistant “superbug” infections worsened during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. After years of decline, 2020 ushered in a 15% increase in hospital infections and deaths caused by some of the most worrisome bacterial infections. That’s according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. CDC officials think several factors may have caused the rise, including how COVID-19 was treated when it first hit the U.S. in early 2020. The CDC doesn’t have 2020 data on all superbugs, partly because health officials had to focus on COVID-19.