Washington: US President Donald Trump has left the medical fraternity shocked by suggesting that people could be injected with disinfectant to cure coronavirus.
At a White House briefing on Thursday, 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,” he was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
Dr Deborah Birx, the task force response coordinator, remained silent. But social media erupted in hilarity and outrage at the President, who has a record of defying science and also floated the idea of treating patients’ bodies with ultraviolet (UV) light.
Several doctors warned the public against injecting disinfectant or using UV light.
Robert Reich, a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley, tweeted: “Trump’s briefings are actively endangering the public’s health. Boycott the propaganda. Listen to the experts. And please don’t drink disinfectant.”