“…These ionic interactions could in principle be affected by increasing the ionic strength and could be used to inhibit the interaction of the virus with the host cell. Moreover, the potential antiviral activity, in vitro, of sodium chloride (NaCl) has been already studied for RNA viruses, such as mengovirus 13 , respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A virus, human coronavirus 229E and coxsackievirus B3, and also for DNA virus, like herpes simplex virus-1 and murine gammaherpesvirus 68 14 . Furthermore, a randomised controlled clinical trial studying the effectiveness of the treatment for viral upper respiratory tract infection, using hypertonic saline nasal irrigation and gargle (HSNIG) 15 , observed a decrease in the duration of illness, over-the-counter medications use, transmission within household contacts and viral shedding 15 .…”