Although U.S. President Donald Trump explained that his earlier remarks were sarcastic on injecting disinfectants and using ultraviolet light to possibly kill the novel coronavirus, the whimsical suggestion has prompted government, business and medical professionals to sound the alarm at once to protect confusing citizens.
The words “disinfectant” and “bleach” have been tweeted almost 1.6 million times, more than the phrase “COVID-19” over the 24 hours after Trump’s stunning remarks, according to Bloomberg citing TrendsMap.com.
The Washington State’s Emergency Management Division tweeted late Thursday warning that “Please don’t eat tide pods or inject yourself with any kind of disinfectant,” adding that “Just don’t make a bad situation worse.”
The Emergency Management Agency of the Maryland State on Friday also issued an alert on Twitter that “under no circumstances should any disinfectant product be administered into the body through injection, ingestion or any other route,” after they received calls regarding questions about disinfectant use and COVID-19.
UK-based disinfectant and hygiene product manufacturer Rechkitt Benchkiser, the maker of Dettol and Lysol, issued a statement on Friday morning that disinfectant products, under no circumstance, should be allowed to enter human body, either through injection, ingestion or any other route.
The U.S. cleaning and bleach product maker Clorox also clarified that under any circumstances, bleach and other disinfectants are “not suitable for consumption or injection.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned against using ultraviolet disinfection lamp to kill the novel coronavirus.
“UV lamps should not be used to sterilize hands or other areas of skin as UV radiation can cause skin irritation,” the WHO said on its official website.
In response, Trump tweeted Saturday, without holding his daily coronavirus briefing, that the briefing was “not worth the time & effort” and put the blame squarely on U.S. “lamestream” media for asking “hostile questions” and reporting fake news. Enditem
