Donald Trump suggests disinfectant injections to treat coronavirus patients; doctors rubbish the idea

Donald Trump suggests disinfectant injections to treat coronavirus patients; doctors rubbish the idea

Trump said this after a presentation by the coronavirus task force on how the life-threatening virus reacts to different substances, temperatures, climates and surfaces

US President Donald Trump
BusinessToday.In
  • New Delhi,
  • Apr 24, 2020,
  • Updated Apr 24, 2020, 8:11 PM IST

US President Donald Trump on Friday suggested a research into whether coronavirus infection could be treated by injecting disinfectants into the body. Trump said this after a presentation by the coronavirus task force on how the life-threatening virus reacts to different substances, temperatures, climates and surfaces.

"And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute," Trump was reported as saying after the presentation. "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," Trump added.

However, the suggestion was soon rubbished by the medical fraternity on social media. Doctors termed ingesting disinfectants as highly toxic for the human body. Even external exposure to the disinfectants could be harmful to the skin, eyes and respiratory system, they added. "My concern is that people will die. People will think this is a good idea," Craig Spencer, Director of Global Health in Emergency Medicine at New York-Presbyterian, Columbia University Medical Centre, told The Washington Post.

Earlier too, Donald Trump had said that summer weather might help in fight against coronavirus without depending on measures that have significant economic ramifications.

Meanwhile, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was earlier identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the coronavirus. Anticipating that it might produce positive results, Trump bought more than 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine for potential treatment of coronavirus patients.

Also read: Coronavirus India Live Updates: Saved India from stage-3, says Health Minister; Country's tally past 23,000

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