Trump suggests possibility of disinfectant “injection” as treatment for COVID-19 patients
During a briefing in which the White House pitched “emerging” research on the benefits of sunlight and humidity in diminishing the threat of the coronavirus, President Trump wondered aloud about the possibility of injecting disinfectants into patients.
Mr. Trump remarked at Thursday’s White House briefing that he’s seen that disinfectant “knocks it (COVID-19) out in a minute. And is there a way you 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 — so it’ll be interesting to check that. … It sounds interesting to me.”
But William Bryan, of the Department of Homeland Security, seemed to shoot the idea down as quickly as it was mentioned, saying it wasn’t being considered. Click here to read more.
Trump says social distancing guidelines “may” be extended into summer or later
President Trump says the administration’s social distancing guidelines “may” extend into summer, or perhaps beyond that, as states shift gears and plan the reopening of their economies. But there is potentially good news for summer — research shows the virus’ lifespan is shortened by sunlight, heat and humidity, one administration expert said during Thursday’s Coronavirus Task Force briefing.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the U.S. is likely to hit 50,000 in a couple of days, and there is no indication the pace of the nation’s losses — in terms of both lives and the economy — is about to slow significantly.
“We’re winning this and we’re gonna win it,” Mr. Trump said as he opened up the briefing. “And we’re gonna keep watching and we’re gonna watch very closely for the invisible enemy.” Read more here.
Doctors find COVID-19 patients with unexpected blood clots
At first, doctors found symptoms of COVID-19 that were similar to those of pneumonia. Then came reports of patients losing their sense of taste or smell.
But now, even more alarmingly, doctors are now finding unexpected blood clots.
Watch the full report below.
House approves $484 billion coronavirus relief package as unemployment soars
House lawmakers on Thursday voted to approve a $484 billion coronavirus relief package as new unemployment figures highlight the staggering toll the pandemic has taken on the U.S. job market. President Trump is now expected to sign the legislation, which lawmakers approved by a vote of 388-5.
The legislation, known as the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, is the result of weeks of negotiations between congressional Democrats and the White House. The measure includes $75 billion for hospitals, $25 billion to establish a national testing regime, $60 billion in disaster aid and $310 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides loans to small businesses to help them retain workers and meet payroll. The PPP exhausted its initial $349 billion in funding last week.
The vote comes as new government data shows 4.4 million people filed initial unemployment claims last week, raising the total number of people who have lost their jobs during the pandemic to about 26 million.
Sunlight appears to have “powerful” effect on killing virus, DHS says
Acting Under Secretary of Science and Technology at DHS Bill Bryan said Thursday that emerging research has shown that solar light appears to have a “powerful” effect on killing the coronavirus.
The virus “dies the quickest in the presence of direct sunlight,” Bryan told reporters at the Coronavirus Task Force briefing.
According to a slide shown at the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, the virus has a half life of 18 hours on a surface when it’s 70-75 degrees, with 20% humidity and no sunlight. But when the humidity rises to 80% and sunlight increases, the virus’ half life drops to two minutes.
Bryan talked about the existence on playground equipment as an example: In the sunlight, the virus would die very quickly, he said, although parts of the equipment in the shade would not be affected in the same way.
These studies may help guide governors in their decisions about what to open and when, Bryan added.
Bryan also said that bleach kills the virus in about five minutes, while isopropyl alcohol takes just 30 seconds.
