US President Donald Trump on Friday played down a furor over his suggestion that people could try injecting disinfectants to fight the novel coronavirus, claiming he was being sarcastic.
"I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you, just to see what would happen," he told journalists at the White House.
Trump late Thursday turned during a press conference to government scientists in the room and asked them about disinfectant.
"It knocks (the virus) 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."
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