WS Chronicle

By Dr. James B. Ewers Jr.

There are some song lyrics that say “love, love, love makes me do foolish things.” Ingesting disinfectant will make you do even more foolish things. It will have damaging effects on your body and may cause you to pass away.

COVID-19 has brought out false claims and outright untruths. Using disinfectant by mouth to cure any illness is an outright untruth. I remember my mom using disinfectant to clean a variety of household items including floors. This same cleaning agent is used today. In fact, there are more of them. The uses are the same. Nothing has changed. 

The president of the United States has been holding daily press conferences since the outbreak. After a few minutes and a few blunders, he will defer to Vice President Mike Pence, Dr. Anthony Fauci, or to Dr. Deborah Birx. Usually, they are more factual and more realistic.

Each in their own way has warned about re-opening the country too soon. Some states are scheduled to open on May 1. That date is really open to some speculation. You will not see large crowds gathering or folks giving each other high fives. There will not be any hugs or kisses.

There will be great caution with masks and gloves being worn. Social distancing will be in full effect. Restaurants will still have take-out and places of worship will continue to have online services.

With everyone in the healthcare field trying to figure out a vaccine, people will try anything and everything and listen to anybody. But why would you take disinfectant? Is it because the president of the United States of America thought it was a good idea? As unfortunate as this sounds, some people did it. That is unbelievable. If Mr. T told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it? That is a debatable question for some people.

There were some people in the state of Illinois who believed the president literally when he made the statement about the disinfectant. They tried it. As a result, the Illinois Poison Control Department has received numerous calls about it. Dr. Nogzi Ezike, head of the Illinois Department of Public Health said, “Injecting, ingesting, snorting household cleaners is dangerous. It is not advised and can be deadly.” You think.

Have common sense and understanding taken a vacation? I cannot fathom drinking any type of disinfectant. This occurrence speaks clearly to the fact that some of us live in a separate America. It is that America who will listen to non-sensical methods such as ingesting bleach-type products as a remedy. It is that America who wants to keep some citizens from enjoying the full benefits of this country.

The coronavirus is a real and present danger with no end in sight. Already there are reports about there being another wave in the fall. Medical experts are doing their best to fight this plague. Reports suggest that a vaccine may be many months away. While some numbers are going down, this is no time to drop our guard. Patience and prudence are needed as we stay the course.

Having a president give out damaging information and then say he was being sarcastic is simply irresponsible. This was not the first time for his crazy talk, and it will not be the last time. 

Mr. T keeps doing it because some Americans keep believing him. If you are one of those lost and mis-guided souls, you need to wake up before it is too late. There is still time for you to come to your senses. COVID-19 is bringing out a lot of emotions, fear, and ill-timed statements. This pandemic is taking a heavy toll on the White House. We should expect more from the leader of the free world. Will we get it? No.

James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a former tennis champion at Atkins High School and played college tennis at Johnson C. Smith University where he was all-conference for four years. He is a retired college administrator and can be reached at evers.jr56@yahoo.com.