Disinfectant "injections" and bleach baths that have popped up as suggested remedies for the coronavirus over the past few days — including one mentioned by President Donald Trump — are alarming medical experts who say such methods have no value and are potentially dangerous, or even fatal.

The comments come at a time when calls to state poison control centers including Kentucky's have spiked over accidental poisoning or injuries from household cleaners and disinfectants during the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump created an uproar Thursday when he floated the idea of a disinfectant "injection" against the coronavirus.

"I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute," Trump said at his daily news briefing after an official described how substances such as bleach and alcohol kill the coronavirus. "And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside, or almost a cleaning?"

Also, Cristina Cuomo, who came down with COVID-19, along with her husband, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, has attributed her recovery to alternative remedies including bleach baths.

Kentucky coronavirus updates:Follow along for the latest news

Meanwhile, calls are flooding poison control centers about accidental ingestion or exposure to disinfectants since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with Kentucky's rate above the national average.

The Kentucky Poison Control Center said it witnessed a 30% increase in overall exposure calls related to disinfectant agents last month, including a 56% increase in poisonings from household cleaners and a 30% uptick in poisonings from hand sanitizers.

That mimics a national trend.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, poison control centers nationwide received more than 45,000 calls tied to cleaners and disinfectants during the last quarter, a roughly 20% increase.

While the increase affected all age groups, children ages 5 and under were impacted the most, according to a news release. Complaints included shortness of breath, dizziness and vomiting.

Dr. Ashley Webb, director of Kentucky's center, which operates at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, said public comments about unproven remedies are not helpful and likely will increase calls to poison control centers.

"Any time people start pushing these alternative therapies, there's always concern," she said.

Such ideas may appeal to people frightened by the highly contagious virus, she said.

"They're worried, and they're looking for a way to treat this," Webb said. "They're looking for options that may not be grounded in science."

Waiters in masks, baseball in a bubble:Here's what 'new normal' could look like

But Webb recommends people avoid unproven treatments.

"It's important that people look to actual approved therapies and science and not try to look for alternatives that haven't been tested for safety and efficacy," Webb said.

The increase in calls has prompted Kentucky's center to renew warnings to the public about the dangers of such products.

"We’ve had reports of young kids drinking hand sanitizer, as well as adults breathing in toxic fumes as they mix together combinations of cleaners,” said Maria Chapman, poison prevention coordinator with the Kentucky Poison Control Center, which also operates Kentucky’s COVID-19 hotline, in a news release.

Chapman said the increase is likely because more people are staying home during the pandemic with small children.

"We know people are cleaning more often, everyone's home together," Chapman said.

Most accidents involve children who find cleaning products or sanitizer, she said.

"When they're down where kids can get them, it's something new and fascinating," Chapman said. "Unfortunately, kids like to explore the world by tasting and touching things."

Webb said she is not aware of any calls to Kentucky's poison control center involving people who ingested a substance to try to treat COVID-19. Most of the calls involve accidental ingestion or exposure, she said.

See also:Poison Control Center gets more money to handle flood of COVID-19 calls

Trump's comments Thursday, when he wondered about the possibility of treating COVID-19 with disinfectants or by treating patients with "light inside the body," triggered a flurry of alarmed responses from health experts and manufacturers of household cleaning products.

Jesse Goodman, the former chief scientist of the Food and Drug Administration and now a Georgetown University professor and attending physician, told the USA TODAY Network the amount of heat and light needed to kill the virus would be harmful to healthy cells within the body.

Manufacturers of products such as Lysol also spoke out.

"As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route)," said a spokesperson for Reckitt Benckiser, the United Kingdom-based owner of Lysol.

On Friday, the White House responded to the growing backlash over the president's comments with a statement that blamed the "media" for "irresponsibly" quoting Trump out of context.

Trump said later Friday he was being "sarcastic," according to news reports.

Meanwhile, health officials have discouraged the use of alternative remedies Cristina Cuomo says she used, including bleach baths, during the couple's fight against COVID-19.

'My generation is not immune to this':After ICU stint, teen survives COVID-19

Cuomo, the founder of the health and wellness platform PURIST, has shared updates on her recovery on her blog, crediting a number of unconventional methods with their improvement, such as adding half a cup of Clorox to her bath.

Health experts warn that there is no evidence such baths fight the coronavirus and that they can be harmful to the skin.

On Friday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced the center will receive $66,594 to help respond to increasing calls during the coronavirus pandemic. These federal funds were made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, McConnell's office said.

The Kentucky Poison Control Center has also dealt with a flood of calls related to the coronavirus ever since Gov. Andy Beshear announced March 7 that the state had its first confirmed coronavirus case and that the center would operate the new COVID-19 hotline.

To help it better handle the increase in people calling with questions about the coronavirus, state lawmakers approved an extra $300,000 in the current fiscal year for the Poison Control Center and $850,000 for the budget year that begins July 1.

Remembering:Those we've lost to the coronavirus in Kentucky and Southern Indiana

How to limit exposure to poisons

Officials recognize the heightened importance and demand that has been placed on cleaning products amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But to limit exposure to the dangerous poisons, the Kentucky Poison Control Center recommends the following precautions:

Store all household products out of a child's sight and reach. Young kids often are at eye level with items under the kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Install child safety locks on cabinets containing poisonous items.

Do not mix chemicals.

Do not leave poisonous products unattended while in use.

Never put a potentially poisonous product in something other than its original container where it could be mistaken for something else.

The state's Poison Control Center is staffed with health care professionals 24 hours a day. They can determine if a child or adults can be treated at home, which is often the case, or if they need to go to an emergency room.

All calls and consultations are free and confidential.

The Kentucky Poison Control Center hotline is 800-222-1222.

USA TODAY reporters Cydney Henderson, Nicholas Wu and John Fritze contributed to this report. Reach Billy Kobin at bkobin@courierjournal.com or 502-582-7030. Reach Deborah Yetter at dyetter@courier-journal.com or 502-582-4228. Find her on Twitter at @d_yetter.