Over 700 people have died in Iran from ingesting toxic alcohol amid false rumours it could kill coronavirus.
Iran has been struggling to control its outbreak of COVID-19 which has killed 5800 people and infected 91,000, according to data from John Hopkins University.
Now there are reports some citizens are turning to home remedies to try and cure the virus, but with deadly results.
Iranian health ministry spokesperson Kianoush Jahanpour said a total of 5011 people have been poisoned from drinking toxic methanol alcohol in an attempt to cure COVID-19 and 525 have died, the Associated Press reported.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says methanol is widely available as it is found in a number of household products including varnishes, windscreen washers and fuel.
Methanol cannot be smelled or tasted in drinks so manufacturers in Iran are supposed to add artificial colouring to their products so the public can identify it from Ethanol, which is commonly found in alcoholic drinks.
The symptoms of ingesting it include drowsiness, vomiting, hyperventilation and headaches. In severe cases, patients can be put into comas and may die.
WHO says many patients with methanol poisoning need intensive medical care which can overwhelm medical facilities. However many medical facilities are already overrun with COVID-19 patients, meaning they may not get the care they need.
Jahanpour says of the Iranians who have ingested poison, 90 people have lost their eyesight or are suffering eye damage.
But an adviser to the ministry Hossein Hassanian told the Associated Press said the number could be much higher.
He also said not all of the deaths related to methanol have been recorded in the country's COVID-19 death toll, as some died patients outside of hospital. He estimated around 200 cases haven't been recorded.
Alcohol poisoning has significantly increased over the past year in Iran. Between February 20 and April 7, 2020, it killed 728 Iranians, but in 2019 it only killed 66 people, the Associated Press reported.
The news comes after US President Donald Trump suggested injecting or ingesting disinfectants could be used to cure COVID-19.
At a news briefing, Trump suggested researchers should look into the possible "cure" but has since backtracked after being slammed by medical professionals.
