US President Donald Trump has been shot down by the medical community after suggesting research into whether COVID-19 might be treated by injecting disinfectant.
The White House also pitched “emerging” research on the benefits of sunlight and humidity in tackling the coronavirus pandemic during the daily briefing on Thursday.
Mr Trump wondered aloud if disinfectants could be injected into people, saying the virus “does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that”.
But William Bryan of the Department of Homeland Security said there was no consideration of that.
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The company which makes Dettol has since urged people not to try injecting disinfectants as a way of treating Covid-19.
RB, the company behind the Dettol and Lysol brands, issued a statement saying: “Due to recent speculation and social media activity, RB has been asked whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus.
“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).”
However, he did say there are “emerging results” from new research that suggest solar light has a powerful effect in killing the virus on surfaces and in the air, despite past studies not finding good evidence that warmer temperatures will help diminish the spread.
Mr Trump, who has consistently looked for hopeful news about containing the virus, was asked if it was dangerous to make people think they would be safe by going outside in the heat, considering that so many people have died in Florida.
“I hope people enjoy the sun. And if it has an impact, that’s great”, the president replied, adding, “It’s just a suggestion from a brilliant lab by a very, very smart, perhaps brilliant man.
“I’m here to present ideas, because we want ideas to get rid of this thing. And if heat is good, and if sunlight is good, that’s a great thing as far as I’m concerned.”
Researchers convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine analysed studies done so far to test virus survival under different laboratory conditions as well as tracking where and how Covid-19 has spread so far.
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“Given that countries currently in ‘summer’ climates, such as Australia and Iran, are experiencing rapid virus spread, a decrease in cases with increases in humidity and temperature elsewhere should not be assumed,” the researchers wrote in April.
They noted that during 10 previous flu pandemics, regardless of what season they started, all had a peak second wave about six months after the virus first emerged.
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