Health Notes

WTF? #Lysol is trending on Twitter

by Charlie Smith on April 24th, 2020 at 6:10 AM
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      This morning, I flipped on my Twitter feed and noticed that the top-trending subject in Vancouver concerned a household cleaner, Lysol, that nobody wants to ingest.

      How the hell did that happen?

      It came courtesy of Donald Trump April 23 briefing to reporters about the novel coronavirus.

      He suggested that one treatment might involve shooting an ultraviolet ray—"or some other very powerful light"—into the body. And that, in combination with a disinfectant cleaning, could yield "interesting" results, according to the president.

      That prompted the manufacturer of Lysol and Dettol, RB, to issue a statement about whether disinfectants "may be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)".

      "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)," RB declared. "As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information."

      Trump's comments were predicted, in a way, last month by the Onion, which is a satirical website.

      "Man Just Buying One of Every Cleaning Product In Case Trump Announces It's Coronavirus Cure," blared the headline on March 25.

      Naturally, the Twittersphere has erupted with ridicule and outrage.

      Here is just a small sample of the multitude of comments:

      Meanwhile, in other news...

      Then, there's this video, which has generated more than 3.6 million views on YouTube since being posted on April 21.

      Satirical singer-songwriter Roy Zimmerman's "The Liar Tweets Tonight" has gone viral.

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