![Health Highlights: July 20, 2021](http://media.assettype.com/healthday%2Fimport%2F26799393%2Forigin.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Here's some of HealthDay's top stories for Tuesday, July 20:
Statin users might gain protection against severe COVID-19. Millions of American take cholesterol-lowering statins each day to lower heart risks. New research shows the pills' anti-inflammatory powers might also help keep severe illness at bay if COVID strikes. Read more
As wildfires spread, so might COVID-19. Enormous wildfires are raging now across the U.S. West, and new research suggests that smoke might make people in fire zones more vulnerable to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. Read more
U.S. issues tough travel warning for Britain. As cases of COVID-19 surge among the unvaccinated in the U.K., the CDC and the U.S. State Department each issued non-binding travel warnings for Americans considering a visit there. Despite rising case numbers, Britain is forging ahead with a full reopening. Read more
White males' dominance of medicine is slipping. A new review finds white men's long reign over the medical field may be nearing its end -- 44% of doctors were white males in 2019, down from 54% in 2000. But that doesn't mean Black and Hispanic men have taken their place. Read more
Vaccinated Americans may enter Canada again soon. Starting Aug. 9, the long-closed border into Canada will open again to fully vaccinated Americans, with no quarantine required, the Canadian government announced Monday. Read more
Trendy plasma treatment may be useless against Achilles tendon pain. It's been employed by star athletes such as Tiger Woods and Rafael Nadal, but a therapy that uses a patient's own blood plasma failed to ease debilitating heel pain in a new trial. Read more
One-dose blood thinner may reduce blood clots after knee replacement. The threat of a DVT blood clot hangs over patients recovering from a knee replacement, and many take daily blood thinners to cut the risk. But a new trial suggests that an experimental drug, delivered just once via injection, may offer equally good protection. Read more