Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Robert Strang weighed in on the United States President Donald Trump’s comments about using disinfectant products as a possible treatment.
During Strang’s address on Friday, he was disappointed that an office with the gravitas of the President of the United States requires debunking from private companies.
“I saw that Proctor and Gamble and Johnson & Johnson had to come out and say do not drink our products,” said Dr. Strang.
Premier Stephen McNeil in jest said, “I won’t give you medical advice” to which Strang laughed in response, “I won’t give you political advice,” a light-hearted moment in what had been a difficult week.
The controversy had started earlier in last week when President Donald Trump had made comments about looking into using UV light or disinfectant products as a treatment.
“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? 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,” he said.
Trump later said he was not being serious: “I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen.” His original comments drew widespread criticism from health professionals and Reckitt Benckiser, who make Lysol.
