Abstract
Iodine and selenium are linked through their effects on thyroid function. Both also have anti-viral properties relevant to SARS-CoV-2 infection. In the form of povidone-iodine solution, iodine is a virucidal agent that has been shown in vitro to kill the coronaviruses SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV implicated in previous coronavirus epidemics. Viral loads of SARS-CoV-2 are high in the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, and oropharynx. Under in-vitro conditions mimicking nasopharyngeal secretions, povidone-iodine solution significantly inactivated SARS-CoV-2