On Thursday, the New York state attorney general rebuked disgraced Branson-area televangelist Jim Bakker for his TV show's recent promotion of an unproven "silver sol" product that a show guest claimed can "eliminate" COVID-19, commonly called coronavirus, from the human body.

COVID-19 developed in China late last year before infecting some 100,000 people worldwide, prompting governments to scramble to address the crisis.

Friday morning, President Donald Trump signed an $8 billion spending package to bolster U.S. efforts to fight the disease, even as data collected by Johns Hopkins University showed 233 cases in the United States.

A day earlier, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson tweeted that no cases have been confirmed in Missouri, though "nearly 17" people in the Show-Me State have been tested.

As the News-Leader reported earlier this week, garden-variety flu and pneumonia, not COVID-19, has cost roughly 1,000 Missouri lives this season.

Public health authorities emphasize that there is not a single medication yet available to treat COVID-19 and that it could take a year or more for scientists to develop a vaccine.

Along with a news release that 13 times used the word "scams," or variations of it, New York Attorney General Letitia James sent Bakker a cease-and-desist letter dated Tuesday ordering Bakker to stop "making misleading claims" about "silver sol" because such claims "violate New York's consumer protection statutes." The Jim Bakker Show is available online and through local New York TV, the attorney general's office said.

James also ordered Bakker to affix a disclaimer to his online store within 10 days noting that "silver sol" is not an FDA-evaluated product and that the product is "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease."

The News-Leader left a message with Bakker's operation Friday morning seeking comment but has not yet heard back.

"We’re more than willing to help New York on this issue if they need it," said Missouri Attorney General Office press secretary Chris Nuelle via email, "but it’s something we’ll continue to monitor on our end as well."

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Nuelle said he also sent an inquiry to the office's consumer division to learn "if they've received any complaints on the issue."

On social media, Branson residents mostly reacted to the news of New York's action with frustration aimed at Bakker.

"Jim Bakker is giving Branson a black eye with these shenanigans," wrote one commenter in the popular Branson Buzz Facebook group.

Meanwhile, the claims aired on Bakker's show Feb. 12 have attracted significant media attention, including from HBO newscaster-comedian John Oliver on Sunday.

The Bakker show's claims directly contradict scientific information about COVID-19 that's been distributed by public health authorities including the World Health Organization, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

WHO recommends that people use "basic principles to reduce the general risk of transmission of acute respiratory infections." They include:

Avoiding close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections;

Frequent hand-washing, especially after direct contact with ill people or their environment;

Avoiding unprotected contact with farm or wild animals;

People with symptoms of acute respiratory infection should practice cough etiquette (maintain distance, cover coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues or clothing, and wash hands);

Within health care facilities, enhance standard infection prevention and control practices in hospitals, especially in emergency departments. WHO does not recommend any specific health measures for travelers. In case of symptoms suggestive of respiratory illness either during or after travel, travelers are encouraged to seek medical attention and share their travel history with their health care provider.

Missouri authorities posted a coronavirus information page earlier this week available at health.mo.gov.

Gregory Holman is the investigative reporter for the News-Leader. Email news tips to gholman@gannett.com and consider supporting vital local journalism by subscribing. Learn more by visiting News-Leader.com/subscribe.