Updated: What we have learnt about treatment so far Share Article AAA A health worker takes a swab sample at a coronavirus testing centre, in Chennai. File | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam What we have learnt about treatment so far The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The SARS-CoV-2 infection causes COVID-19. Doctors initially did not know how best to treat patients with COVID-19. Thus, in the first few months, clinical care was dominated by opinion, anecdotes and dogma. An example is the hype surrounding hydroxychloroquine as a potential cure for COVID-19. It took a huge global effort to prove that hydroxychloroquine does not benefit COVID-19 patients. One year on, there is still rampant misinformation on cures for COVID-19, with steam inhalation, multivitamins, mineral supplements, and drugs such as ivermectin, and chloroquine, all of which have not been demonstrated to treat COVID-19, still being prescribed.