question: Chitosan is an abundant organic polysaccharide, which can be relatively easily obtained by chemical modification of animal or fungal source materials. Chitosan and its derivatives have been shown to exhibit direct antiviral activity, to be useful vaccine adjuvants and to have potential anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 activity. This thorough and timely review looks at the recent history of investigations into the role of chitosan and its derivatives as an antiviral agent and proposes a future application in the treatment of endemic SARS‐CoV‐2.