Donald Trump has been slammed after suggesting ultraviolet rays or 'disinfectant injections' could be possible treatments for coronavirus, during a bizarre press briefing.
The US president's ideas were quickly dubbed 'irresponsible and dangerous' by medical experts following his rambling speculation in front of reporters at the White House on Thursday.
Trump, who is already facing ongoing criticism for his handling of the pandemic, raised the ideas as he questioned William Bryan, acting head of the US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate.
Bryan had said the coronavirus appears to weaken more quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity, which could lead to a fall in infections as the weather improves.
Trump appeared to take that idea and run with it.
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"Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous... whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light," he asked.
"Supposing we brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. Sound interesting.
"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...
"As you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs."
After the briefing, health experts were quick to point out that ingesting such substances would likely prove fatal.
"This notion of injecting or ingesting any type of cleansing product into the body is irresponsible, and it's dangerous," global health policy expert Dr Vin Gupta told NBC.
"It's a common method that people utilize when they want to kill themselves."
He and other medical professionals reacting on social media urged people to ignore Trump's suggestions.
It isn't the first time the president has pushed unsubstantiated 'solutions' to coronavirus, as he previously promoted hydroxychloroquine as a possible cure - a drug that has no proven benefit in fighting COVID-19.
