Governors Report Influx Of Calls About Disinfectant After Trump Treatment Suggestion

Multiple governors appeared on news shows on Sunday morning to report that their states have seen an increase in calls concerning President Donald Trumps recent suggestion that patients be injected with disinfectant to cure COVID-19.

During a press conference on Thursday, Trump asked senior health officials to explore disinfectant-related treatments for coronavirus, almost like a cleaning. Trumps request followed an announcement from Department of Homeland Security official Bill Bryan that some studies have shown the virus does not survive well on surfaces like countertops and refrigerators and in the air when hit with ultraviolet rays or disinfectant.

In response to Trumps public suggestion, the manufacturer of Lysol and Dettol issued a statement saying, Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection, ingestion or any other route.

On Sunday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said on ABCs This Week that his office has received hundred of calls seeking guidance on Trumps suggestion, and added the president needs to make sure these press conferences are fact-based.

The Maryland Emergency Management Agency warned that under no circumstance should disinfectants be ingested.

Gov. Larry Hogan says they received hundreds of calls seeking guidance following Trumps comments and its important to communicate facts. https://t.co/zB7Ch1H4ND pic.twitter.com/RrFpJqmllo
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 26, 2020

On the same program, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) said that poison control in her state has also seen an increase in calls since Trumps suggestion, adding, Its really important that every one of us with a platform disseminate medically accurate information.

We have seen an increase in numbers of people calling poison control and so I think its really important that every one of us with a platform disseminate medically accurate information, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says on Trump disinfectant comments. https://t.co/kz1qZhs59Q pic.twitter.com/aocyhWCg4A
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 26, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx, the response coordinator for the Trump administrations coronavirus task force, quickly discredited Trumps suggestion before pivoting to discuss the results of studies she believes Trump was referencing.

I made it very clear, and so has Dr. Fauci and everyone associated with the task force. This is not a treatment, she said.

WATCH: Dr. Birx responds to President Trump's comments that disinfectant could be a treatment for COVID-19.

\"This is not a treatment. ... What was missed ... [was] the reason that study was important: ... Direct sunlight may actually be able to kill the virus.\" pic.twitter.com/APMNfOtOOi

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WATCH: Dr. Birx responds to President Trump's comments that disinfectant could be a treatment for COVID-19.

"This is not a treatment. ... What was missed ... [was] the reason that study was important: ... Direct sunlight may actually be able to kill the virus." pic.twitter.com/APMNfOtOOi
Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) April 26, 2020

Dr. Birx generously claimed the president was digesting information when he made the suggestion, but Trump responded to backlash over his suggestion by claiming hed made it sarcastically to reporters just to see what would happen.

But after Trumps initial comment, multiple state agencies received calls asking whether ingesting disinfectant can cure coronavirus.

Trumps disinfectant suggestion wasnt the first unsubstantiated claim he has made about a potential coronavirus cure. In early April, against the advice of some health officials in his administration, he began promoting an anti-malarial drug, hydroxychloroquine, that has not yet been proven safe or effective for use on people infected with the coronavirus.

What do you have to lose? he asked about the drug, repeatedly .

On Friday, the FDA cautioned against the use of malaria drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, to treat COVID-19 patients outside of hospitals and clinical trials, citing serious risk of heart rhythm problems and, potentially, death.

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