Dr. Marc Siegel reacts to Trump disinfectant remarks: 'The president is not a physician'

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Reaction and analysis from Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel.

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Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel told "America's Newsroom" Friday that "the president is not a physician" in response to a portion of Thursday's coronavirus task force briefing during which President Trump wondered aloud whether an agent could be injected into the human body that would have a similar effect on the virus to surface disinfectants.

"The point here is that this virus is easily disinfected on surfaces and it’s killed by soap and water if you actually wash your hands properly," Siegel said.

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"There is no evidence that ingesting anything into your body is going to deal with that."

Trump was responding Thursday to a presentation by Bill Bryan, the head of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security. Bryan discussed the impact of temperature and humidity on the coronavirus, as well as that of various disinfectants on surfaces where the virus is present.

"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, or almost a cleaning?" Trump asked. "Because you see it gets on the lungs and it does a tremendous number, so it will be interesting to check that. So ... you're going to have to use medical doctors. But it sounds, it sounds interesting to me. So we'll see."

Siegel pointed out that unlike on inanimate surfaces, the virus will spread "cell to cell" in the human body and a simple solution won't kill it. However, he said the president essentially underlined his task force's declaration that sunlight is a great disinfectant for outdoor surfaces and that simple chemicals can also remove the virus from surfaces where it might otherwise linger.

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"The vast majority of people have a mild case," Siegel said. "The real way to fight a virus off is to be in good health, to sleep well, eat well, and exercise. A lot of that stuff we are having trouble doing right now, because we are under such stress. But no, there isn't a disinfectant you can introduce into the body to fight this."

"By the time the virus gets in, it’s already beyond that."

Siegel added that another simple way to prevent viral infections would be to "keep your nasal membranes moist" by remaining properly hydrated throughout the day.

"When you are dehydrated and dry, the virus gets in more easily."