Antibiotic resistance could be a dangerous side effect of response to Covid-19

G20 policymakers have no choice: in addition to confronting today’s viral crisis, they also must tackle the looming bacterial one

A contractor cleans public spaces near St Mark’s cathedral in Venice. The Covid-19 pandemic has rapidly accelerated the use of disinfectants. Picture: AFP via Getty Images

This week, G20 leaders will convene virtually to discuss the Covid-19 crisis. One hopes that the emergency summit marks the beginning of a thoughtful collective response to this grave challenge.

If so, the meeting may turn out to be even more consequential than the London summit hosted by the then British prime minister Gordon Brown in April 2009, which created the framework for a co-ordinated multilateral response to the global financial crisis.

Having chaired the ...