President Trump on Saturday shared a government warning about disinfectants that was issued after he earlier suggested doctors might explore whether they could be used to treat patients sick with the novel coronavirus.
Mr. Trump’s account on Twitter shared guidance circulated a day earlier by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the aftermath of the president’s recent comment.
“Household cleaners and disinfectants can cause health problems when not used properly. Follow the instructions on the product label to ensure safe and effective use,” the CDC tweeted and Mr. Trump retweeted.
The tweet was among several about the coronavirus pandemic Mr. Trump’s account shared Saturday morning that had originally been posted by government health agencies or experts.
It had originally been posted by the CDC on Friday afternoon amid the president coming under fire over what he said about disinfectants during a briefing held by the White house Coronavirus Task Force the previous evening.
“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?” Mr. Trump said Thursday.
Health professionals were quick to caution against using disinfectants to treat COVID-19, the highly contagious and current incurable respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus, as were companies including Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of household disinfectants including Lysol and Dettol.
“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),” Reckitt Benckiser stressed Friday.
Mr. Trump subsequently claimed later Friday that he was being sarcastic when he made his initial comment about using disinfectants to treat COVID-19.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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