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The Guardian reported on 26 August 2020 that :

Citriodiol-based spray can help protect against Covid-19, says MoD lab

Citriodiol sprays were made available to the army in the early phases of the Covid-19 crisis because they were known to kill other strains of coronavirus such as Sars.

The Ministry of Defence released an eight-page paper from the Porton Down-based Defence Science and Technology Lab (DSTL), which tested the efficacy of Mosi-guard, a Citriodiol-based spray, on plastic and artificial skin.

Jeremy Quin, a junior defence minister, said the research found that sprays containing Citriodiol “can kill the virus”.

Confusingly, the article further says that the DSTL laboratory also states :

However, some virus was still recoverable over a four-hour period.

Is mosquito repellant actually effective or is it not ?

Nigel J
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    The title asks about "protection", the final question is about "effective". I don't see any claim about either of those presented in the article, only some reduction in virus. – BowlOfRed Dec 16 '20 at 04:48
  • @BowlOfRed _Jeremy Quin, a junior defence minister, said the research found that sprays containing Citriodiol “can kill the virus”_ – Nigel J Dec 16 '20 at 05:02
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    The claim in the Guardian is a bit murky (the headline writer (and perhaps the first paragraph) over-states what the writer has written throughout the rest of the article) but it seems to be "Yes, it killed *some* of the virus, but it isn't clear if it is enough to make a difference in practice." Your question demands an answer to a claim that isn't being made, because it is unknown: Is it protective? Is it effective? – Oddthinking Dec 16 '20 at 06:04
  • ... so it's better to ask this on https://medicalsciences.stackexchange.com/ which doesn't require a clear-cut claim to challenge. – Fizz Dec 16 '20 at 06:36
  • Or learn to accept that some things just aren't known yet, and it is okay to not be sure. Come back in 6-12 months and maybe there will be answers. – Oddthinking Dec 16 '20 at 07:14

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