President Donald Trump wondered if an “injection” of “disinfectant” could help with the novel coronavirus during Thursday’s press briefing.
Bill Bryan, the head of Homeland Security’s science and technology division, presented “emerging” research before Trump’s comments about the virus. The research indicates that the novel coronavirus doesn’t live as long in more humid and warmer temperatures.
Trump then wondered if a person could somehow bring “the light inside the body” after Bryan noted that “the virus dies quickest in sunlight.” The president began to ask Bryan hypotheticals, ranging from how to bring sunlight into the body to whether an “injection” of an unspecified “disinfectant” could be a cure. (RELATED: ‘Summer Respite’: White House Says Sunlight Has ‘Striking’ Effect On Killing Coronavirus)
“So supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just a very powerful light — and I think you said that hasn’t been checked because of the testing,” Trump asked. “And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that, too.”
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
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Bryan shot down the idea almost immediately when a reporter asked if there was “some scenario” where injecting a disinfectant could be a possibility.
Bryan said “we don’t do that at our labs,” noting that injecting disinfectant was not under consideration. Numerous doctors also stressed against the idea to various media outlets, urging people to absolutely not inhale or inject any disinfectant, CBS News reported.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany rebuked the media for running “with negative headlines” in a statement to the Daily Caller following Trump’s comments. She added that “Trump has repeatedly” told Americans to “consult with medical doctors 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,” McEnany said. “Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines.”
Lysol, a brand of cleaning and disinfecting products, also warned against the use of any sort of “injection” after Trump’s comments.
“As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route),” Reckitt Benckiser, a spokesperson for Lysol, said according to a statement to NBC News.
“As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information.”