Adobe Stock Early on in the pandemic, doctors reported that patients who were critically ill with COVID-19 appeared to have a higher risk of blood clots. And there was speculation that statins — a type of cholesterol-lowering drug — could help. Research conducted in New York City and published in February 2021 in the journal found that people who had been taking statins long-term before being hospitalized with COVID-19 were 50 percent less likely to die within 30 days compared with those who hadn’t. The researchers hypothesized that this may have something to do with statins’ anti-inflammatory effect, which they thought may be effective in treating inflammation-related complications of COVID-19.