Radiation sterilization is one of the most successful applications of ionizing radiation technologies. This paper reviews research on virus inactivation by ionizing radiation, focusing on its use in virus control for food, blood products, and homologous or heterologous tissue repair materials, inactivated viral vaccine preparation, and high-risk virus-related laboratory sample preparation, and also puts forward some thoughts on the application of ionizing radiation technologies in the prevention and control of coronavirus disease 2019.