[set fair (OP)]

By the time patients are hospitalised the viral load is usually declining and fairly low. The time for antivirals is during the period when the virus is muliplying. The water is muddied by "prophylactic" being applied to both pre-infection and post infection but presymptom treatment. I don't like the second use because, like a lot of infections, some symptoms are caused, not directly by the infectious agent, but by the body's response to the infection and covid surpresses these.