Trump suggests ultraviolet light and disinfectant as remedy against the coronavirus

At the White House coronavirus briefing last Thursday, President Donald Trump pushed dangerous and unproven theories about treatments involving household disinfectant and ultraviolet light. It is not the first time that he suggests a remedy against the coronavirus. President Trump brought a science administrator to back up his assertions. Then, he began to eagerly theorize about treatments involving the use of household disinfectants. They would be dangerous if someone ingests it, as well as the power of sunlight and ultraviolet light. 

After the president’s speech, it was the time for William N. Bryan, the head of science at the Department of Homeland Security give some news. He told the audience that an agency has been testing how sunlight (a source of ultraviolet light) and disinfectants — including bleach and alcohol — can kill the coronavirus. However, only on surfaces, and as little as 30 seconds.

Is there a remedy against the coronavirus?

Experts have long warned that ultraviolet lamps can harm humans if used improperly. Thus, the link between ultraviolet light and skin cancer is well established nowadays. Bleach and other disinfectants may kill microbes. However, they also can kill humans if swallowed or if fumes are too powerful. 

Thus the press considered being dangerous the fact that Trump is discussing various ideas about a possible remedy against the coronavirus. This is happening despite a lack of scientific evidence, from sunlight and warmer temperatures to an array of drugs, which includes the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. We can now see that some of his recommendations now show disastrous effects. 

You must already know that the pandemic is spreading to countries experiencing hot weather, including Australia and Iran. Having this in mind, some scholars investigated whether the warmer summer season would slow the virus. Early this month, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences looked exclusively at humidity and temperature. Unfortunately, they found that these factors have a minimal impact on the virus.

More on Trump’s statements

By Friday morning, the White House issued a statement. It said that President Trump has repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment. Thus, he was not a trustable source of information. The statement also recommended that people should leave it to the media the responsibility of taking President Trump out of context. Thus, it was their fault the fact that negative headlines were running out there.

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This week, a pair of ecological modelers at the University of Connecticut reported evidence that balmy weather may indeed slow the coronavirus. However, not enough to do away with the social-distancing measures advised by public health officials. Given the repercussion of his statement, Trump claimed he was being sarcastic when he asked health experts in the White House whether ultraviolet light or disinfectants could be inserted inside humans as a possible remedy against the coronavirus.