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The immunologist Deborah Birx He fought not to betray his own feelings, looking down and away from the president, when Donald Trump suggested, during a coronavirus press conference on Thursday, that doctors should “check” whether to inject chlorine and isopropyl alcohol into patients, or expose them In ultraviolet light, you can cure them from covid-19.
The agony of Brix, a former Army colonel who serves as coordinator of the White House task force and who often seems to have a hard time not correcting Trump, was filmed while sitting next to the pulpit, listening to the president.
Here is Dr. Birx’s reaction when President Trump asks his scientific adviser to study using UV light on the human body and injecting disinfectant to fight the coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/MVno5X7JMA
– Daniel Lewis (@ Daniel_Lewis3) April 24, 2020
The president’s sloppy suggestion came in response to a presentation by Bill Bryan, science and technology consultant to the Secretary of Homeland Security. Bryan had just described research conducted at the Army’s biosecurity laboratory in Fort Detrick, Maryland, showing that the coronavirus can be neutralized on non-porous surfaces by disinfectants or prolonged exposure to sunlight.
Looking like he recovered a conversation he had with Bryan just before the press conference, Trump said he had asked the scientific adviser that if these techniques work as well to clean the virus from non-porous surfaces, such as door handles? and metal swings for children, why? What not to test them on humans?
“So I asked Bill a question,” Trump told reporters with Bryan sitting next to Brix. “Suppose you hit the body in a tremendous light, whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light,” Trump said. “And I think you said,” the president continued, turning to Bryan, “that this has not been verified and that you will prove it.”
“And then I said,” continued the President, “‘ assuming you brought light into the body, through the skin or in some other way. ” I think you said you were going to try this too. It looks interesting. “
“We are going to bring the idea to the right people who could test it,” Bryan replied.
“Right,” said Trump. “And then I see the disinfectant, which kills the virus in a minute. One minute. Is there a way to do something like this, by injection? Trump asked. It was at this point that Prix, who was looking at the President from his seat next to the pulpit, looked away.
“Almost a cleanse,” Trump continued, describing his proposed therapy for covid-19 patients. “Then it would be interesting to see that,” Trump told Bryen. “You will have to use doctors,” he added. “But I find it interesting. So we’ll see, but the whole concept of light, the way it kills the virus in a minute, is quite powerful. “
Trump’s odd show of quackery made the channels broadcasting his speech go crazy to deny it, seeking to warn viewers not to follow the president’s advice and self-medicate (as the debate over laughter or crying intensifies ) In the face of the President’s strange behavior, his strange comments on Thursday also inspired a remarkable parody comedian Sarah Cooper). Last month, when Trump promoted chloroquine, an Arizona couple ingested a version of the drug used to kill parasites in tropical fish.
Later, at the same conference, Bryan was forced to clarify He told reporters that his laboratory had never suggested injecting cleaning products into humans, and that it analyzed the effect of light on viruses only on non-porous surfaces, never on people, not even what Trump described as the “type non-porous semi-surface ”of a human hand.
When asked whether Trump was responsible for continuing to suggest that people would be protected from coronavirus infection in hot climates, he insisted on his new theory again. “There was a rumor that, you know, a very good rumor, that you go out in the sun or expose yourself to heat, has an effect on other viruses, but now we receive this confirmation from one of the world’s leading laboratories,” he said. President. Addressing Bryan, he added: “I would like you to talk to the doctors to see if there is any way to apply light and heat to heal.”
Trump said Thursday that he wants doctors “to see if there is any way to apply light and heat to cure” Covid-19. He then put Dr. Deborah Birx on the spot, asking her if she had heard of such treatments. She tried not to make him look stupid. pic.twitter.com/RaoKqM2EiO
– Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) April 24, 2020
“I mean, maybe you can, maybe you can’t. I’m not a doctor, “Trump said, addressing reporters. “But I’m a person who has a good … you know,” he added, pointing to his own head. So finally, there was no place for the only doctor in the room to hide.
“Deborah, have you heard of this?” The president asked Brix. “Heat and light, in relation to certain viruses, yes, but in relation to this virus?”
“Not as a treatment,” said Brix. “I mean, fever is certainly a good thing,” he added quickly, looking for a way to avoid reinforcing the idea that the president’s reflections were completely stupid. “When you have a fever, it helps your body respond. But not like heat or light … “he finished.” I think it is a great thing to investigate, “Trump said, adopting his role as a quack.
Pressed by Philip Rucker of the Washington Post on whether he should really share rumors with anxious citizens who watched the press conference to receive updates on the public health emergency, Trump suddenly pretended that his own ideas had come from Bryan. “It’s just a suggestion, from a brilliant lab, from a very, very smart man, perhaps brilliant,” the president said, pointing to Bryan. “He’s talking about the sun, he’s talking about the heat,” said Trump. “I’m only here to come up with ideas, because we want ideas to get rid of that.”
The president’s strange reflections were quickly rejected by doctors who advised viewers not to ingest or inject under any circumstances isopropyl alcohol or bleach to prevent the coronavirus.
“The idea of introducing into the body something that is a known toxin: isopropyl alcohol, disinfectants, I mean, these are things that always worry us that kids accidentally swallow, or people who are trying to hurt themselves on purpose … ultraviolet light inside the body? “the doctor told MSNBC EstherChoo, who works in the emergency room in Portland, Oregon. “It is just this stream of consciousness based on … probably this underlying concept that many viruses have a seasonal component,” he added. “But, to jump from that to the idea that sunlight is the cure, I am really concerned about what people will do with the UV lights, creating burns on their mucous surfaces.”
Other experts noted that the type of ultraviolet rays used in disinfection is not safe for use on human skin, while the type of UV light used in consumer products, such as tanning beds that the president likes so much, does not. kills viruses.
Trump’s speculation about possible disinfection of human bodies came three days after the CDC’s Center for Disease Control reported that calls to poison centers related to exposure or ingestion of cleaning products and disinfectants already they had increased by 20% in March
The president’s brainstorming was also denied by CNN experts and described as a “without senseBy presenter Chris Cuomo, who recently recovered from covid-19. The day before, Cuomo’s wife, wellness blogger Cristina Cuomo, revealed that she was fighting the disease by adding half a cup of chlorine to her bathroom water, “to combat radiation and metals in my system and oxygenate it.” “
Earlier on Friday, the British company that makes Lysol bleach released a statement saying it has answered questions about “whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for research or use as a treatment for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) ” . “
“As the world leader in health and hygiene products,” the company said, “we must make it clear that under no circumstances should our products be administered to the human body (by injection, ingestion, or any other route).”
Translation: Maurício Brum
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