COVID-19 Patient Dies After Judge in Argentina Forces Clinic to Inject Bleach

A COVID-19 patient died in Argentina on Monday after a judge ordered a private clinic to administer chlorine dioxide to the patient.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other involved agencies cautioned that chlorine dioxide, which is usually used as a powerful disinfectant, can be hazardous to human health if used, according to a CBS News report.

Oscar García Rúa's family has successfully sued the clinic. The family's attorney said on Tuesday that they do not believe he died of his COVID-19 infection or of exposure to the chlorine dioxide.

Rua's family believed that he died out of a bacterial infection and plans to sue the clinic, Sanatorio Otamendi y Miroli S.A., again, according to a Breitbart News report.

García Rúa's wife was reported to had been gravely ill in the same clinic with COVID-19. Doctors then recommended the use of chloride dioxide with inhalable ibuprofen, which is a painkiller and anti-inflammatory.

The doctor in question recommended the experimental treatment. However, the clinic and Argentina's public health authorities do not permit the use of bleach in this case.

Garcia Rua's wife earlier died on Jan. 6.

A day after his wife died, Garcia Rua was then admitted by his stepchild, José María Lorenzo, according to Argentina newspaper La Nacion.

The clinic stated that Garcia Rua doed within 24 hours of receiving the chlorine chemical intravenously, after experiencing a deterioration of his ability to breathe.

"The doctor treating him suggested chlorine dioxide and the inhalable ibuprofen and Otamendi denied the treatment. Before that, we presented a cause [to the court] and the court ruled on it," the family's doctor, Martín Sarubbi was quoted on a report.

Sarubbi added that the clinic kept diluting the treatment, saying that health authorities discourage the use of bleach but do not prohibit it.

The family doctor further said that the man died because of an infection acquired at the hospital and because of the delay in treatment.

Judge Granting the Use of Bleach

A judge allowed the request on the same day and ordered the Otamendi y Miroli clinic in Buenos Aires to administer the substance as prescribed by the patient's doctor.

The clinic unsuccessfully appealed against the ruling and have the man the substance, noting that it would not bear responsibility for any negative outcome.

Dr Omar Sued, president of the Argentine Society of Infectology said that for a judge to decide that a doctor has to use a substance, which does not possess any scientific evidence, is really worrying.

Sued added that it is not the decision of a judge to use a medication he does not know to a patient, saying that it is not his role, according to the Strait Times report.

Chlorine Against COVID-19

The U.S. FDA has warned against the use of chloride dioxide products against COVID-19 cases. The agency stated that the products can jeopardize a person's heart, adding that there has been no proven effectiveness of it against COVID-19.

The FDA said that bleach is also known to cause respiratory and liver failure among other adverse effects.

Several health agencies have issued their warnings against the use of chlorine dioxide to treat COVID-19. These agencies include the Pan American Health Organization, and National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices.

The Argentine Society of Infectology has also cautioned about its use.