Can chlorine dioxide prevent the spreading of coronavirus or other viral infections? Medical hypotheses

To our present knowledge, an aqueous solution of ClO2 is able to inactivate all types of viruses. Disinfectants (in water phase) are compared by their CT values, which is the concentration (measured in mg/L) multiplied by the contact time (measured in minute). In CT tables, ClO2 is indicated for viruses in general, without mentioning any exemptions. For example, according to [6], a CT value of 8.4 mg × min/L is needed to achieve a four-orders-of-magnitude (“4 log” or “99.99%”) inactivation of viruses in an aqueous medium at 25 °C.

In 2012, it was again Ogata who showed [23] that the inactivation of influenza virus by ClO2 was caused by oxidation of a tryptophan residue (W153) in hemagglutinin (a spike protein of the virus), thereby abolishing its receptor-binding ability.

[..] using high ClO2 concentration allows fast disinfection of rooms when people are not present, e.g., intensive care units, buildings used as quarantine, or public transport vehicles. However, the application of ClO2 gas is limited when people are present, as it is harmful for humans and animals above certain concentrations.

Ogata [21] realized first that ClO2 is able to inactivate viruses even under the 0.1 ppm (OSHA TWA) limit that is in concentrations which are not harmful to humans. In 2008, Ogata and Shibata [25] demonstrated that infection of mice with influenza A virus applied in an aerosol can be prevented by ClO2 gas present at 0.03 ppm concentration in the air, which is only 30% of the permissible TWA exposure level for humans at a workplace. They concluded that “ClO2 gas could, therefore, be useful as a preventive tool against influenza in places of human activity without necessitating evacuation.” They have even made attempts to decrease the incidence of flue infections among schoolchildren by applying low concentrations of ClO2 gas in a classroom [24].

A funny line in response to "Trump wants you to inject bleach":

We suggest that animal experiments should be performed to obtain experimental values for the pulmonary toxicity of ClO2. Furthermore, it would be important to check in additional animal experiments, whether ClO2 applied in a nontoxic amount is able to treat infections of the lung caused by bacteria or viruses.