Murphy advises against Trump advice

Usually straitlaced and solemn in his delivery of up-to-the-minute health advice, Australia's Chief Medical Officer stifled giggles when asked about US President Donald Trump's latest suggested treatments for coronavirus.

Flanked by doctors in the White House's press briefing room, Mr Trump cited US Government research suggesting coronavirus could be killed off more quickly when exposed to sunlight, heat and humidity, and is destroyed altogether when hit by disinfectants.

"So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous, whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light, and I think you said that has not been checked but you're going to test it," he said turning to some of the medical professionals present at the press conference. "And then I said, 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, sounds interesting. "Right, and then I see the disinfectant, it knocks it out in a minute, one minute and is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning, cause you see it gets on the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs."

Across the other side of the Pacific, Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Brendan Murphy, was asked for his clinical advice on such a novel treatment.