Director Spike Lee has expressed concern that Americans may die after President Donald Trump offered advice on how to treat Covid-19 illness.
Lee told The Times that Trump’s scientifically unverified suggestions about treating coronavirus infection might have led to the death of some of his followers.
“I feel that we have to care about the statements that Agent Orange makes,” Lee said. “Because those statements send people to the hospital. And, later on, it will come out that people actually died following his non-scientific suggestions for what to ingest.”
Lee called Trump “Agent Orange” after the herbicidal chemical that U.S. troops used as a defoliant during the Vietnam War. The chemical reportedly caused widespread illness among civilians.
Trump was widely panned for suggestions about how to treat COVID-19
Trump was widely criticized for saying that he used the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine to protect himself from coronavirus infection.
Before he made the revelation, he had touted the drug as a “game-changer” in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic despite medical experts pointing out that the efficacy of the drug had not been proven through proper clinical trials.
HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE & AZITHROMYCIN, taken together, have a real chance to be one of the biggest game changers in the history of medicine. The FDA has moved mountains – Thank You! Hopefully they will BOTH (H works better with A, International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents)…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 21, 2020
Trump was also widely criticized after he appeared to suggest during a White House briefing that coronavirus could be treated by injecting disinfectants.
“I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it [coronavirus] 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 also appeared to suggest that scientists should test the possibility of curing coronavirus by hitting “the body with a tremendous — whether it’s ultraviolet or just very powerful light.
“… supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way, and I think you said you’re going to test that too. It sounds interesting.”
Actor Daniel Dae Kim appeared to back Trump’s claim when he said that chloroquine helped him to recover from coronavirus illness.
Disinfectant manufacturers warned people not to inject their products
After Trump appeared to suggest that COVID-19 could be treated by injecting disinfectants, some bleach and disinfectant manufacturers issued warnings that people should not consume or inject their products.
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), the company that manufactures Lysol and Dettol, was among the companies that warned people about the danger of ingesting their products meant only for external use.
An Arizona man died after ingesting chloroquine
Media sources reported in March that an Arizona man, who appeared to have taken Trump’s suggestion seriously, died after ingesting chloroquine phosphate used to treat aquariums.
The man’s wife was also in a critical condition after ingesting the substance. She received treatment t at a hospital.
Spike Lee is enforcing social distancing at his Brooklyn Offices
Lee revealed that he was enforcing strict social distancing measures and testing at his Brooklyn offices.
Spike Lee, an Oscar-winning director, is known for movies such as She’s Gotta Have It, Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, and BlacKkKlansman.