Doctors tended to overprescribe antibiotics to COVID-19 patients in hospitals during the early pandemic months, but programs designed to limit overuse are helping, according to an analysis from Pew Charitable Trusts.Why it matters: Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat globally and in the U.S., with rising deaths due to bacterial infection, dwindling novel drugs to treat them, and huge associated economic costs. Many worry the pandemic will only make the problem worse.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeDriving the news: Looking at the first six months of the pandemic, Pew researchers found 52% of COVID-19 patients in 5,838 hospital admissions were given at least one antibiotic, 96% of them within the first 48 hours of admission.But, only about 20% of those admitted were diagnosed with suspected or confirmed bacterial pneumonia and 9% were diagnosed with a community acquired UTI — a discrepancy indicating a conc