A Wisconsin woman who has been taking hydroxychloroquine for 19 years to treat lupus says she still contracted coronavirus despite claims the drug could help prevent infection.

Kim, who did not want to give her full name or show her face, said she was shocked to learn she tested positive for coronavirus after taking hydroxychloroquine for 19 years .

Theories that hydroxychloroquine might combat the dangerous effects of coronavirus rely on the same effect it has for lupus sufferers: modulating the immune system

Hydroxychloroquine is an immune modulator, one of a group of drugs that can turn the immune system on, ramp it up, or act like a reset, making it behave normally. 

For lupus patients, it's one of the safest drugs to make the body stop attacking itself

Theories that hydroxychloroquine might combat the dangerous effects of coronavirus rely on the same effect it has for lupus sufferers: modulating the immune system

Hydroxychloroquine is an immune modulator, one of a group of drugs that can turn the immune system on, ramp it up, or act like a reset, making it behave normally. 

For lupus patients, it's one of the safest drugs to make the body stop attacking itself. 

Often, it's this immune response that ultimately kills COVID-19 patients. 

One of the reasons that hydroxychloroquine is a preferable to many other lupus drugs is that it is not an immune suppressant, or drug that lowers the body's immune system to stop it from attacking itself. 

Hydroxychloroquine does not significantly raise risks of infections like coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

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