The COVID-19 pandemic has presented numerous additional challenges for health professionals managing patients with infections. Now, more than ever raising awareness of the risks of antimicrobial resistance remains important as we continue to work together to prevent serious infections – including COVID-19 as well as reducing inappropriate antibiotic use. World Antibiotic Awareness Week (now World Antimicrobial Awareness Week) and EAAD have provided opportunities for focused awareness raising over the last few years. 

With the ongoing challenge of responding to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a scaled back approach to WAAW local campaigns has been considered in the resources toolkit that has been published and available here. It focuses on digital means of communicating including new digital resources for primary and secondary care. 

 If you can only do two or three simple things to promote awareness this WAAW, we suggest the following actions.  

 As an individual:  

• choose a new or renew your pledge on the Antibiotic Guardian website and encourage five other people to do the same  

 As an infection lead:  

• if you only do TWO things this WAAW, register your organisation’s planned activities for WAAW and share the WAAW digital resources for healthcare workers  

• if you only do THREE things this WAAW then choose a pledge on the antibiotic guardian website and share the digital resources for health care workers and watch the recorded ‘Planning your local WAAW/EAAD 2020’ workshop  

• if you only do FOUR things this WAAW then choose a pledge on the antibiotic guardian website and register your organisation’s planned activities for WAAW and share the digital resources for health care workers and watch the recorded ‘Planning your local WAAW/EAAD 2020’ workshop.