On April 16, TV’s Dr. Mehmet Oz used his now-daily Fox & Friends appearance to promote a “self-reported” hydroxychloroquine clinical trial from the University of Minnesota, claiming that “they mail you the pills, you start the protocol, [and] tell them what happened.” This comes as other hydroxychloroquine trials internationally have returned murky results so far or in some cases been canceled due to heart complications in patients.

The study that Dr. Oz appears to be talking about is “limited to only high-risk exposures” to the coronavirus -- not to people who have symptoms, or to just anyone who thinks they might be at risk, as Oz suggested.

Dr. David Boulware, who is leading the study, has warned that healthy people should not self-administer the drug, which has risks of heart complications, particularly if combined with other medicines. He has explained that his study is seeking preventative measures for high-risk individuals who may be “on death’s door."

Neither Dr. Oz nor any of the Fox & Friends hosts urged such caution or explained the vital context.