On Apr. 29, 2020, researchers at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine announced that they had begun testing the drug hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19, as part of a nationwide trial sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

The new multicenter trial was called ORCHID, which stands for Outcomes Related to COVID-19 Treated with Hydroxychloroquine among Inpatients with Symptomatic Disease. The trial enrolled more than 500 adults hospitalized with COVID-19 who have symptoms of respiratory infection, such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, or sore throat. Participants were randomized to receive either hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), or placebo plus standard clinical care, for five days; all patients were evaluated on day 15.