> Trump says he was being 'sarcastic' about injecting coronavirus patients with disinfectant
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after signing a $484 billion coronavirus relief package into law, President Trump was asked about the idea of injecting coronavirus patients with a disinfectant, something he floated during Thursday’s coronavirus task force briefing.
The president claimed he was being sarcastic.
“I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen,” Trump said.
But Trump’s remarks Thursday were directed at William Bryan, a scientist at the Department of Homeland Security who had just presented research indicating that the virus can be killed on surfaces and in aerosols by heat, humidity, sunlight and disinfectants. And they did not appear to be sarcastic.
“Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light. And I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but we’re going to test it,” Trump said. “And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, either through the skin or some other way.”
The president went on to speculate about the possibility of using disinfectants as a treatment.
“And then I see the disinfectant where it 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? Because, you see, it gets in the lungs and does a tremendous number on the lungs,” Trump continued. “It would be interesting to check that. That you’re gonna have to use medical doctors with, but it sounds interesting to me, so we’ll see.”
Trump asked Dr. Deborah Birx, a leader on the White House coronavirus task force, for her opinion on the possible use of ultraviolet light for COVID-19.
“Not as a treatment,” she replied.
