US President Donald Trump has made the stunning suggestion that people could receive injections of disinfectant to cure COVID-19, a notion one medical expert described as “jaw-dropping.”
At Thursday’s White House coronavirus task force briefing, Trump discussed new government research on how the virus reacts to different temperatures, climates and surfaces.
“And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute,” Trump said. “One minute. And is there a way we can do something, by an injection inside or almost a cleaning? Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it’d be interesting to check that. So, that you’re going to have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me.”
Photo: AFP
Social media erupted in hilarity and outrage at Trump, who has a record of defying science.
Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California, Berkeley and a former US secretary of labor, said on Twitter: “Trump’s briefings are actively endangering the public’s health. Boycott the propaganda. Listen to the experts. And please don’t drink disinfectant.”
Former US Office of Government Ethics director Walter Shaub added: “It is incomprehensible to me that a moron like this holds the highest office in the land and that there exist people stupid enough to think this is OK. I can’t believe that in 2020 I have to caution anyone listening to the president that injecting disinfectant could kill you.”
Trump showcased an “emerging result” from the US Department of Homeland Security showing that the coronavirus appears to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity, raising hopes that it could become less contagious in summer months.
“Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus, both surfaces and in the air. We’ve seen a similar effect with both temperature and humidity, as well,” said William Bryan, the department’s acting undersecretary for science and technology.
“The virus dies quickest in the presence of direct sunlight,” he said.
He also said that tests had been carried out with disinfectants.
“I can tell you that bleach will kill the virus in five minutes. Isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds and that’s with no manipulation, no rubbing,” Bryan said.
Trump seized on the findings to refer back to a claim he made on Feb. 14 that warm weather might kill the virus, like the common flu.
“I think a lot of people are going to go outside, all of a sudden, people that didn’t want to go outside,” he said.
Trump then asked Bryan an extraordinary question: “So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light ... and then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you’re going to test that, too?”
Ultraviolet rays are an invisible type of radiation that can penetrate and damage skin cells, and overexposure can cause skin cancer. How much sunlight would be needed to have an effect on the coronavirus is unknown.
When a Washington Post reporter asked if it was dangerous for Trump to make people think that they would be safe by going outside in summer heat, the president said: “I would like you to speak to the medical doctors to see if there’s any way that you can apply light and heat to cure.”
“Maybe you can, maybe you can’t. Again, I say, maybe you can, maybe you can’t. I’m not a doctor,” he added.
When the reporter pressed further, Trump said: “I’m the president and you’re fake news... I’m just here to present talent, I’m here to present ideas.”
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