Are standard antivirals effective against COVID?

• A. Yes
• B. No
• C. Sometimes
• D. Only with vaccines or boosters

Answer: (B)

Antivirals are usually designed to block specific parts of a virus’s life cycle, and those targets vary a lot between different viruses. Because SARS-CoV-2 has unique proteins and replication steps, drugs that work well against other viruses often don’t affect this coronavirus. So, standard antivirals used for other infections are not generally effective against COVID-19. There are antivirals developed specifically for SARS-CoV-2 (like remdesivir, Paxlovid, and molnupiravir) that have shown clinical benefit, but they aren’t the same as the “standard” antivirals used for other viruses. That’s why the correct answer is that standard antivirals are not broadly effective against COVID.