Iran: 728 people died after drinking neat alcohol to prevent COVID-19

A hospital for coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, in Tehran, Iran on 30 March 2020 [Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency]

Some 728 people have died in Iran over the past two months after drinking methanol in the mistaken belief that it protects from the coronavirus.

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday that the consumption of toxic methanol has increased over the past two months following rumours that neat alcohol protects from the coronavirus.

Earlier this month, judiciary spokesman, Ghulam Hussein Ismaili, announced that more than 600 people had died after consuming the toxic beverage.

Iran recorded the first case of coronavirus on 19 February. It has 92,584 confirmed cases including 5,957 deaths.

Last week, US President Donald Trump was lambasted by medical professionals after suggesting researchers should look into whether the coronavirus could be overcome by injecting disinfected into the body.

READ: Iran starts training sniffer dogs to detect COVID-19

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