The UK Defence Ministry's lab started the study on Citriodiol in May after the media revealed that Mosi-Guard, an insect repellent containing the substance, had already been distributed among the country’s servicemen.
According to the media outlet, Citriodiol has already been found to have killed other types of coronavirus.
Meanwhile, the broadcaster added that the regular mosquito spray would not be efficient on its own and would need to be used as an extra layer of protection, along with face masks and other measures.
Citriodiol was used during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in 2003.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic on 11 March.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the global coronavirus death toll has surpassed 820,000 people, with the number of cases worldwide approaching 24 million.
