Illustration of molecules of the protease inhibitor camostat mesilate and a SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus particle. Camostat is being investigated as a treatment for covid-19, the respiratory infection caused by the Sars-CoV-2 (previously 2019-nCoV) virus. Camostat blocks the virus from entering human cells. Sars-CoV-2 was first identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. As of March 2020, the virus has spread to many countries worldwide and has been declared a pandemic. Over 100,000 have been infected with several thousand deaths.