Donald Trump said at his daily media briefing on Thursday that scientists should explore whether inserting light or disinfectant into the bodies of people infected with the new coronavirus might help them clear the disease.
“Is there a way we can do something like that by injection, inside, or almost a cleaning?” he said. “It would be interesting to check that.”
However, he didn’t specify any kind of disinfectant.
Medical professionals, including Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist, global health policy expert and an NBC News and MSNBC contributor. were quick to challenge the president’s “improper health messaging.”
“This notion of injecting or ingesting any type of cleansing product into the body is irresponsible and it’s dangerous,” said Gupta. “It’s a common method that people utilize when they want to kill themselves.”
The maker of Lysol also issued a statement warning against any internal use of the cleaning product.
Top Democrats slammed Trump for the comment.
Please don’t poison yourself because Donald Trump thinks it could be a good idea.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 24, 2020
The President suggested injecting Lysol into the human body to treat #COVID19.
Something is very wrong with this guy.
No really.
We should be very concerned.
Intervention? pic.twitter.com/hOyy8S0wSi
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) April 24, 2020
The president has repeatedly touted unproven treatments during the daily briefings on COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus. For instance, he has touted hydroxychloroquine as a potential “game changer,” but health officials have strongly cautioned against it.
An Arizona man died in late March after having ingested chloroquine phosphate — believing it would protect him from becoming infected with the coronavirus. The man’s wife told NBC News that she had watched televised briefings during which Trump talked about the potential benefits of chloroquine.
And on Friday morning, The White House claimed that the media was mischaracterizing Trump’s comments regarding coronavirus treatment.
“President Trump has repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment, a point that he emphasized again during yesterday’s briefing,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. “Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines.”
Check out the video below:
Source : NBC News