in early april, fauci said, "the data are really just at best suggestive. there have been cases that show there may be an effect and there are others to show there's no effect." dr. megan l. ranney of brown university said that hydroxychloroquine can cause heart attacks and other problems. other doctors worry that if people take hydroxychloroquine for covid-19, there will not be enough left for people with malaria, lupus, and arthritis. still, some hospitals have given hydroxychloroquine to covid-19 patients who are very sick because the doctors think it is worth the risk.