GPs are being encouraged to cut the amount of antibiotics they prescribe by about a third

Auckland University infectious disease specialist Mark Thomas led a study that's found there were no major adverse outcomes from a cut-back on prescriptions during the original Covid-19 lockdown.

He says antibiotic prescriptions dropped 36 per cent during Alert Level 3 and 4, when compared to the previous three years.

Thomas says antibiotics can be vital - but this study shows a lot are being dispensed unnecessarily.