NICOLA Sturgeon has labelled Donald Trump's comments suggesting people should inject disinfectant as Covid-19 cure as an "extrememly dangerous" idea.

The US President suggested that perhaps disinfectants could be injected into people, saying the virus “does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that”.

The First Minister was asked about Mr Trump's comments at her daily media breifing - but warned that the suggestion is "a very, very bad idea and extremely dangerous".

READ MORE: Scientists shoot down Donald Trump's idea that injecting disinfectant might kill coronavirus

She stressed that leaders have a responsivility to give accurate advice and warned about repeating ideas they have "perhaps completely misunderstood".

Ms Sturgeon said: "It is clearly not the case that ingesting disinfectant in any way shape or form is a good idea.

"It is a very, very bad idea and extremely dangerous."

She added: "I'm really keen that we have an open discussion with the public and that politicians - unusually perhaps - are prepared to admit things they don't know as well as share the thinking on the things that we do know and are trying to work through.

"But the responsibility on leaders is not to stand up at a public platform and repeat things that you have perhaps half heard and perhaps completely misunderstood, and present that to the public in a way that the public might act on and that could be dangerous.

"None of us are perfect. And we will all make mistakes in this but I think we all have to remember that very serious responsibility when we're giving advice to the public. It must be good advice, informed by the best science."

National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch said that he would never need to advise decision-makers that injecting or consuming disinfectant was a bad idea.

He said: "I can be absolutely certain that I don't need to advise the present First Minister that injecting disinfectant into your body will be no help for coronavirus.

"I can categorically say - and it is genuinely a serious point at times of non-coronavirus and coronavirus - that disinfectant is for surfaces, not for bodies."

He added: "There is, however, research going on all over the world - some of that involving drugs, some of that involving vaccines and some of that involving disinfectant-type things for surfaces and on other parts of our infrastructure.

"They are interesting, Scotland is involved in many of them and we're certainly watching what happens around the world."