That used to be true; treating the symptoms was really the only option. Bacterial cells are different enough from animal cells that we can target their membranes or machinery and (usually) not damage ourselves. Stopping viruses has been much more difficult, bc they Co-opt our machinery to reproduce.. trying to stop that would have dire consequences for ourselves. There are now medications that try (and succeed to varying degrees) to cripple viral ability to enter host cells, or target novel proteins the virus uses to reproduce. They will get better as time goes on.

For CV, the current antivirals and “RNA vaccines” are looking effectively useless, however. The virus itself is nasty, no doubt, but it’s the body’s response that makes it lethal; treating that is much easier. Anti-inflammatories, arthritis medication, “IL6” inhibitors are crude, but relatively effective. There are issues with liver toxicity and secondary infection, they aren’t perfect, but they’re the current best-known and available approach to lowering mortality.

There are, as I’ve mentioned, Phase II/III compounds that will be thoroughly vetted in the coming months.. by Summer one or several will be put to work against CV, and bring mortality way, way down.. approaching zero.