It would appear that the old axiom of “feed a cold, starve a fever,” has been taken a step further in the commonwealth of Virginia – citizens are now actually drinking household bleach has a form of home remedy in combating the coronavirus.

According to the Blue Ridge Poison Center, some residents within the state are drinking bleach and other cleaning products in the mistaken belief that by doing so, it will prevent getting the coronavirus, which of course will only get those individuals sick, worst yet actually poisoning themselves.

The Center has acknowledged receiving phone calls from worried individuals and family members reporting that loved ones have been drinking these household chemicals as a way to prevent getting the coronavirus.

“Bleach is a caustic agent, which means it can burn,” said Jennifer Ross, a University of Virginia medical toxicology fellow. “It’s used to kill germs, so if you drink it, it can burn your mouth, it can burn your throat, it can burn your stomach as well. One of the most common signs we see is vomiting.”

Ross also reminded those individuals that bleach is an irritant that can cause a number of issues when it comes into direct contact with the skin, causing slight inflammation and irritation, moreover breathing in the fumes can cause harmful breathing issues, especially for those individuals with upper respiratory problems.

As a precaution the Center sent out letters within the community, and also on their website, reminding all that exposure to cleaning products is the leading cause of poisoning.

The letter in part read; “There is a lot of confusing, incomplete, and just plain inaccurate information circulating about how to prevent the COVID-19 virus (“coronavirus”) from spreading. Some advice measures simply won’t help, and some could be downright dangerous. The Blue Ridge Poison Center at UVA Health warns that drinking bleach will not prevent COVID-19 infections and could cause serious injury.”

Adding “When used correctly, cleaning products can be a safe and effective weapon against the spread of disease-causing germs including the COVID-19 virus (“coronavirus”). In particular, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using diluted bleach solutions on frequently touched surfaces. Hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of at least 60% is recommended for killing COVID-19 on the hands, especially when soap and water is unavailable. However, these products
and others used to clean and disinfect may have the potential to be toxic if used incorrectly. The Blue Ridge Poison Center reports that exposure to cleaning products is the second leading cause of calls to poison centers nationwide.”

The Center thus far doesn’t have an exact number of how many individuals are gulping down the “CLOROX BLEACH.” No doubt a few geniuses reading the label on the bottle stating “kills 99.9% of germs” decided that if they drank the bleach it would also prevent the COVID-19 virus from infecting them.

A similar situation took place in Iran when dozens of people decided to drink industrial-strength alcohol amid rumors that it would prevent them from contacting the deadly virus.

According to reports on Tuesday, by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency, 44 people died after they “drank bootleg alcohol over rumors that it would be effective in treating coronavirus.”

“Some of the citizens of Ahwaz had heard that drinking alcohol could help them fight the coronavirus, so they used it as a preventive measure,” said Ali Ehsanpour, spokesman of Ahwaz University of Medical Sciences, according to the Mehr News Agency.

Thus far according to the Iranian Health Ministry, as of Tuesday, a total of 8,042 individuals have contracted the deadly virus, however the good news, over 2,700 within that same group have since recovered.