<s>[INST] Are antibiotics effective in preventing or treating COVID-19? [/INST] Antibiotics do not work against viruses; they only work on bacterial infections. COVID-19 is caused by a virus, so antibiotics do not work. Antibiotics should not be used as a means of prevention or treatment of COVID-19.

In hospitals, physicians will sometimes use antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections, which can be a complication of COVID-19 in severely ill patients. They should only be used as directed by a physician to treat a bacterial infection. Source: WHO. Link: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-masks. Field: Infectious Disease. Disease: COVID </s>