BC Conservative Candidate Blames Staff for Video Claiming Hairdryers Can Cure COVID-19

One of John Rustad’s BC Conservative candidates is distancing himself from a video shared on his professional LinkedIn profile claiming hairdyers can cure COVID-19.

Mike Harris, the BC Conservative candidate for the Victoria-area riding of Langford-Highlands, confirmed to PressProgress that a video promoting junk medical advice was shared on his LinkedIn profile alongside content associated with his day job as a Century 21 sales representative.

The pseudoscientific video, titled “How to Kill Coronavirus: Conquering COVID-19,” cites dubious experts and makes outlandish claims, falsely purporting that the deadly virus has a little known “achilles heel” — hot air.

Source: Mike Harris, LinkedIn

“These viruses die, within just a few minutes when exposed to higher air temperatures,” the video explains. “The human body, when infected with a severe virus, attempts to do this on its own, by producing a fever.”

“The very same process could be used with patients if we could raise the temperature of a patient’s sinuses high enough. The virus would die.”

The video suggests those experiencing symptoms should blow hot air up their nose with a hairdryer as a home remedy for COVID-19.

“The common, widely available, hand-held blow dryer used for drying hair contains a heating element and a fan that can instantly deliver forced air temperatures at or the above the eradication temperature threshold for coronaviruses,” the video notes.

“Take slow, deep breaths through the nose, with mouth closed for five minutes,” while “allowing the heat to penetrate deeply into the nose and sinuses.”

As another cure for COVID-19, the video recommends three cycles of bathing in a sauna for 20 minutes, followed by 40 minute cooling down periods.

Screenshots and a link to Harris’ hairdryer video were contained in a leaked 200 page dossier prepared by BC United Party researchers documenting conspiratorial and controversial statements by BC Conservative candidates.

Contacted by PressProgress, Harris initially directed PressProgress to a statement he gave to local radio broadcaster Adam Stirling denying he had posted the hairdryer video on his LinkedIn account.

Harris’ statement, as conveyed by Stirling, claimed the post in the dossier was “not actually him,” insisted he “never made the post” and had “no knowledge of who may have.” Stirling also inaccurately indicated that the “the link in the document does not appear functional.”

Addendum:

We checked with @Mike4Langford and he says the post attributed to him in the BC United Dossier is not actually him.

He claims he never made the post and has no knowledge of who may have. The link in the document does not appear functional. #bcpoli #yyj

— Adam Stirling (@Adam_Stirling) September 27, 2024

After being provided with a video recording showing the link was still functional and that it connects to his professional LinkedIn profile, Harris recanted and confirmed the information contained in the BC United dossier was authentic after all.

“I have further looked into that LinkedIn post and did find a share of that post,” Harris told PressProgress.

Despite the post being viewable for the last four years, the Century 21 sales rep maintains he “didn’t post it” and suggested his staff were likely to blame.

“I had staff that had access to my page,” Harris said. “My staff probably thought it was gonna help with the virus.”

Blowing a hairdryer up ones nose would, of course, be of little help with the virus.

According to a March 2020 article titled “No, a hair dryer won’t stop coronavirus,” the fact-checking website snopes.com described the information contained in the video as “not just false, but potentially dangerous.”

“No reputable medical professionals or institutions recommend people breathe hot air to kill the coronavirus. Contrary to what the video states, viruses don’t make you sick by congregating in your nasal cavities.”

Snopes noted that the video’s creator, a man who calls himself “Dr. Dän Lee Dimke,” is a “futurologist” and has no relevant credentials in medicine or science.

A fact check from March 2020. 👇 https://t.co/cFxbo4oZIS

— snopes.com (@snopes) December 26, 2022

The BC Conservatives, a far-right party previously on the fringe of BC politics, are facing increased scrutiny as they seek to make gains in the upcoming provincial election — the party received only 1% of the vote last election

Dozens of the party’s candidates have been criticized for controversial and extreme statements while the party’s leader, John Rustad, has drawn attention for statements about climate science, vaccines and conspiratorial speeches about children eating bugs.