A politician from Brazil has been ridiculed online for promoting ozone therapy by “rectal insufflation as a quick and excellent treatment for Covid-19.”
According to The Guardian, Volnei Morastoni, the mayor of the southern city of Itajaí, made the claim live on TV on Monday night. Video of the 69 year olds’ beliefs has now gone viral.
VIDEO: Volnei Morastoni, the mayor of the southern city of Itajaí, suggested patients who have tested positive for Covid-19 should treat the virus by rectally applying ozone. He called the treatment “quick” and “easy”pic.twitter.com/RSCSliYkYI
— The Brazilian Report (@BrazilianReport) August 4, 2020
Morastoni, a trained doctor alleged: “For these [positive Covid-19] cases … we will offer ozone. It’s a simple and quick procedure – it only takes two or three minutes per day – and is probably carried out via the rectum …with a very thin catheter that produces excellent results,”.
The newspaper reports that scientists were quick to disregard Morastoni’s claims. This is the latest in a spate of unproven remedies being promoted by Brazilian politicians, including the far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro.