Memo: The Antibiotics Hypothesis and New York City Spring 2020
Subject to updates/revisions
Question: Did sudden withdrawal of antibiotics contribute to the New York City spring 2020 death spike?
Available data do not support the hypothesis that failing to use or prescribe antibiotics in the hospital or outpatient was a significant contributor to the NYC death spike.
King et al (2020) show 37% and 10% increases for azithromycin prescriptions dis…