Coronavirus Live Updates: Trump’s Remarks Prompt Warnings on Disinfectants’ Dangers; Navy Recommends Reinstating Captain
Credit...Anna Moneymaker/The New York Times
APRIL 24, 2020
The F.D.A. warned against the use of anti-malaria drugs that President Trump had also promoted. Businesses in Georgia began to reopen despite unease.
RIGHT NOW -Nursing homes are being told to readmit Covid-19 patients to relieve overburdened hospitals, even as the virus has killed more than 10,500 residents and staff members at nursing homes and long-term care facilities nationwide.
Stark warnings of the dangers of ingesting household disinfectants follow Trump’s White House remarks.
President Trump’s assertion at the White House that household disinfectants might be able to kill the coronavirus inside the body was denounced as misguided and dangerous by doctors and elected officials — and prompted Lysol and Clorox to issue statements warning against the improper use of their products.
As the outcry grew, the president tried to suggest Friday that he had only been kidding.
“I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen,” Mr. Trump told journalists in the Oval Office as he signed the latest virus relief bill into law.
His explanation, which came after his comments were widely assailed and mocked, contrasted with his own press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, who had made no claim that the president was actually not being serious. Instead, in a statement earlier in the day, she said that the president had repeatedly made clear that Americans should consult with doctors, and blamed reporters for mischaracterizing Mr. Trump’s remarks, without saying how.
“Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines,” Ms. McEnany said.
The president made the initial remarks Thursday evening at the White House after a scientist, William N. Bryan, the head of science at the Department of Homeland Security, told reporters at the briefing that the government had tested how sunlight and disinfectants — including bleach and alcohol — could kill the coronavirus on surfaces in as little as 30 seconds.
“Supposing we hit the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light,” Mr. Trump said. “And I think you said that hasn’t been checked, but we’re going to test it?” he added, turning to Mr. Bryan, who had returned to his seat. “And then I said, supposing you brought the light inside the body, either through the skin or some other way.”
Apparently reassured that the tests he was proposing would take place, Mr. Trump then theorized about the possible medical benefits of disinfectants in the fight against the virus.
“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?” he asked. “Because you see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
Bleach and other disinfectants may kill microbes, but they also can kill humans if swallowed or if fumes are too powerful. That is why bottles of bleach and other disinfectants carry sharp warnings of ingestion dangers. And experts have long warned that ultraviolet lamps can harm humans if used improperly — when the exposure is outside the body, much less inside. The link between ultraviolet light and skin cancer is well established.
The president’s comments were alarming enough that his own public health appointees felt the need to warn Americans not to take them seriously.
“A reminder to all Americans- PLEASE always talk to your health provider first before administering any treatment/ medication to yourself or a loved one,” Dr. Jerome Adams, the surgeon general, wrote on Twitter. “Your safety is paramount, and doctors and nurses are have years of training to recommend what’s safe and effective.
After the president’s comments on Thursday, searches soared for cleaning products including laundry detergent capsules like Tide Pods. By the afternoon, a hotline run by the state of Maryland had received more than 100 calls on the subject, Michael Ricci, the spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan, said on Twitter.
The calls prompted a response from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency: “Under no circumstances should any disinfectant product be administered into the body through injection, ingestion or any other route.”
The maker of the disinfectants Lysol and Dettol also issued a statement on Friday warning against the improper use of their products.
“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),” the company said. The words “under no circumstance” were highlighted in bold.
And the Clorox Company said on Friday that disinfecting surfaces with bleach was one way to help slow the spread of the virus, but added: “Bleach and other disinfectants are not suitable for consumption or injection under any circumstances.”
Mr. Trump has long touted various ideas against the virus despite a lack of scientific evidence, from sunlight and warmer temperatures to an array of drugs, including the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. But some of his recommendations, however, have had disastrous effects. Last month, an Arizona man died and his wife was hospitalized after the couple ingested a chemical found in hydroxychloroquine.
Social media companies have been struggling to address the spread of misinformation about the virus, including junk science and supposed cures. Last month, Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, specifically mentioned a bleach “cure” as an example of “misinformation that has imminent risk of danger.”
“Things like, ‘you can cure this by drinking bleach,’” he said. “I mean, that’s just in a different class.”
Georgia moves ahead with some reopenings despite plenty of misgivings.
Some businesses in Georgia reopened on Friday, a decision that is being watched closely and one that has divided the state’s residents.
- “Have you been around anybody? Dry cough or anything?” “If I can take your temperature really quick. So these are the stickers that we’re using here at Salon 13. Basically they’re for checking the guest in, and letting all of our service workers know that they’re having no problems with any temperature.” “I ain’t crazy about wearing gloves cutting hair. I ain’t crazy about wearing a mask, but I’m going to comply with our government, and do what we need to do to be operating. But it’s better to do this then sit at home and lose my business.” “I booked the appointment. They went through all their procedures that they’re going to be taking, and so I felt at ease.” “I do not think it makes sense to open these businesses way before the curve, before we hit the peak.” “I wouldn’t go to a gym at this point because there’s too much sweating and breathing heavy, and all that stuff.”
Salons and barbershops and other businesses reopened across Georgia on Friday after Gov. Brian Kemp defied opposition from the president, public health experts and some mayors in his state.
Lines started forming around 7 a.m. and snaked around some businesses. Mr. Kemp’s order generally allowed barbershops, nail salons, gyms, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors to reopen on Friday. Dine-in service at restaurants will be allowed to resume on Monday.
The move to reopen in Georgia on Friday, along with similar plans in Oklahoma and Alaska, is being closely scrutinized as other governors consider future steps for their own states.
After initially backing the Georgia governor’s plan, Mr. Trump on Friday denied that support and said some businesses in the state “should take a little slower path.”
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta urged people to stay home.
“Listen to the scientists,” she said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” “There is nothing essential about going to a bowling alley or getting a manicure in the middle of a pandemic.”
But at a shopping center on Auburn Avenue, the heart of Atlanta’s historic black business district, every spot in the parking lot was full. The two barbershops in the center were open and receiving a slow trickle of customers. Few employees were wearing masks.
In Buckhead, an upscale district of Atlanta, Chris Edwards opened his barbershop at 7 a.m. and expected few customers. Instead, he got a modest stream of visitors.
“I’ve been to Kroger and Home Depot a thousand times,” said Tom Clarke, 59, an Atlanta native who works in real estate and construction. He said he had been frustrated by the restrictions. Asked why he ventured out, he tugged at his mop of gray hair. “I’m coming because I need a haircut desperately,” he said.
Government statistics show the state has recorded more than 22,000 virus cases and that at least 892 people have died.
Some parts of the state are still seeing cases rising. Hall County is seeing more reported cases, according to a federal briefing obtained by The New York Times, which noted that “North Georgia Medical Center estimates that with the current trajectory of increased cases, the center will be at staffing capacity on May 4th.” The medical center’s website projects that cases there will not peak until early June.
In Thursday tweets, Mr. Kemp said the state had been “successful in our efforts to protect Georgians and our state’s health care infrastructure.”
Citing “favorable data” and expert advise, Mr. Kemp said, “I know these hardworking Georgians will prioritize the safety of their employees and customer
“You can go to the beauty salon, the barber!” a DJ declared on Hot 107.9, one of the hip-hop radio stations in Atlanta, on Friday. “You can get your nails done!”
Between songs, Erin Rae, the station’s midday host, opened up the phone lines, asking callers if they were taking advantage of the change in restrictions.
“No, ma’am!” the first woman on the line said. “I am not going out! No way, any way!”
Navy leaders recommend reinstating the Roosevelt captain fired over a virus warning.
Capt. Brett E. Crozier should be restored to command of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, the Navy’s top officials recommended on Friday.
But Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper, who was briefed on the recommendations, has asked for more time to consider whether he will sign off on the reinstatement of the captain of the nuclear-powered carrier.
Mr. Esper received the recommendation that Captain Crozier be reinstated from the chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael M. Gilday, and the acting Navy Secretary, James McPherson, on Friday. Defense Department officials said earlier that they expected to announce the results of the Navy’s investigation into the matter on Friday afternoon.
Mr. Esper’s decision to hold up the investigation has surprised Navy officials, who believed that the defense secretary would leave the process in the hands of the military chain of command.
A reinstatement of Captain Crozier would be a stunning turnaround in a story that has seized the attention of the Navy, the overall military and even a nation grappling with the coronavirus. From the moment that his letter pleading for help from Navy officials first became public, Captain Crozier has taken on the role of an unlikely hero, willing to risk his career for the sake of his sailors.
