First Edition: June 21, 2021

KHN: ‘It’s A Mission’: Volunteers Treat Refugees Massing At The Border
El Chaparral Plaza once teemed with tourists, street vendors and idling taxis. But the plaza, just outside the San Ysidro port of entry on the Mexican side of the border, now serves as a sprawling refugee camp where migrants from Mexico, Central America and Haiti wait in limbo while they seek asylum in the U.S. Dr. Hannah Janeway, an emergency medicine physician who works in a Los Angeles hospital but volunteers at the border, estimates at least 2,000 people are jammed into tents and repurposed tarps here, living without running water and electricity. (de Marco, 6/21)

KHN: Nurses And Docs At Long Beach Center ‘Consider It An Honor’ To Care For Migrant Children
The 5-year-old had nodded off while waiting for her 10-year-old brother to be treated for scabies at the clinic in the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, which she currently calls home. Nurse Chai-Chih Huang asked if she wanted to be taken back to her dormitory to sleep. “She looked so sad and didn’t say anything,” Huang recalled. The girl’s brother explained that they had been separated for a week during their journey. His sister cried every day without him, he said. Now, she wanted to stick close at all times. (Stephens, 6/21)

KHN: What It Means When Celebrities Stay Coy About Their Vaccine Status
When two St. Louis Blues hockey players were sidelined because of covid-19 just days before this year’s NHL playoffs, the team said young defenseman Jake Walman had been vaccinated against the deadly illness. But it was mum about the vaccination status of a more well-known player: star forward David Perron. It wasn’t until 10 days later — and after the Colorado Avalanche buried the team, without Perron touching the ice in any of the series’ four games — that he begrudgingly acknowledged he had been vaccinated. (Berger, 6/21)

KHN: Montana Tribe Welcomes Back Tourists After Risky Shutdown Pays Off
Millions of people will flock to Montana’s Glacier National Park this summer after last year’s pandemic-caused tourism skid, and they will once more be able sightsee and camp nearby on the recently reopened Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The tourists’ return is a relief to the owners of the restaurants, campgrounds and hotels forced to shut down last summer when Blackfeet tribal leaders closed the roads leading to the eastern side of the popular park. (Bolton, 6/21)

Axios: Biden: 300M COVID-19 Shots Administered In United States 
President Biden announced Friday that 300 million coronavirus shots have been administered in the United States in the last 150 days. More than 175 million Americans have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot and infection rates, as well as deaths, have decreased by more than 90%, according to the White House. (Doherty, 6/18)

The New York Times: With Vaccination Goal In Doubt, Biden Warns Of Variant’s Threat
With the United States unlikely to reach his self-imposed deadline of having 70 percent of adults partly vaccinated against the coronavirus by July 4, President Biden on Friday stepped up his drive for Americans to get their shots, warning that those who decline risk becoming infected by a highly contagious and potentially deadly variant. In an afternoon appearance at the White House, Mr. Biden avoided mentioning the 70 percent target that he set in early May and instead trumpeted a different milestone: 300 million shots in his first 150 days in office. But even as he hailed the vaccination campaign’s success, he sounded a somber note about the worrisome Delta variant, which is spreading in states with low vaccination rates. (Gay Stolberg and Weiland, 6/18)

Politico: CDC Director: Delta Variant To ‘Probably’ Become Dominant Strain In U.S.
The very contagious and possibly more harmful Delta variant of the coronavirus “probably” will become the dominant strain in the United States in the coming months, Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday on "Good Morning America." “It's more transmissible than the Alpha variant or U.K. variant that we have here. We saw that quickly become the dominant strain in a period of one or two months,” Walensky said. “I anticipate that is going to be what happens with the Delta strain here.” (Leonard, 6/18)

CNN: The States At Risk Of An Aggressive And More Dangerous Covid-19 Variant 
Some states are making great strides in vaccinating their residents against Covid-19, but the ones that are not may soon be contending with a more transmissible variant, experts say. About 45.1% of the US population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19, CDC data showed, and in 16 states and Washington, DC, that proportion is up to half. But some states like -- Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wyoming -- have fully vaccinated less than 35% of residents. (Holcombe, 6/21)

CIDRAP: Poorer US Counties Have Lower COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
A study yesterday in Vaccine reveals socioeconomic disparities in county-level COVID-19 vaccine uptake, with a 32% lower vaccination rate in the most disadvantaged areas. In the study, researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock used the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) and seven theme scores to identify links between socioeconomic vulnerability and adult vaccination rates in 2,415 counties up to May 25, 2021. (Van Beusekom, 6/18)

CIDRAP: Only 21% Of Americans Worried About Contracting COVID-19
A new poll shows only 21% of Americans fear contracting COVID-19 from someone they know well, the lowest number since the pandemic began, according to the Associated Press–NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Only 25% are concerned that lifted restrictions will lead to more infections in their community. About 40% of those polled said their communities were handling reopening at a correct pace, with 27% thinking it has been done too slowly and 34% feeling restrictions were lifted too hastily. (Soucheray, 6/18)

Axios: Poll: Americans Are Restarting Pre-Coronavirus Daily Activities 
Americans are relaxing COVID-19 precautions and resuming activities they did before the virus shut down parts of the country in early 2020, according to a new AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey of 1,125 adults. Almost all states have lifted most of their restrictions as vaccination rates have steadily increased throughout the country, and as new coronavirus cases have dropped to the lowest level since the start of the pandemic. (Knutson, 6/18)

ABC News: Severe National Blood Shortage May Force Doctors To Augment Patient Care, Officials Say
As the COVID-19 pandemic comes to a close, more Americans are seeking medical care -- only to find roadblocks to long-awaited elective surgeries or unexpected traumatic injuries: a critical national shortage of blood. In June, the blood supply dropped to "red" level, indicating dangerously low supply at blood centers nation-wide, according to the AABB Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism. (Rosen, 6/20)

Axios: Red Cross Asks For Blood Donations Amid "Severe" National Shortage 
The American Red Cross asked the public this week to help replenish the United States' depleted blood inventory amid a "severe" national shortage. The non-profit said the shortage is likely driven by a recent surge in trauma cases and emergency room visits, as well as advanced disease progression from patients deferring care throughout the coronavirus pandemic. (Knutson, 6/18)

Axios: Pricey Drugs Paid By Medicare Lack Cost-Effectiveness Data 
Nearly $50 billion or a third of Medicare Part D costs in 2016 were for drugs with absent cost-effectiveness analyses, according to a report from JAMA Network Open. The lack of a quality analysis that weighs the relative cost with outcomes of these drugs may create hurdles toward efforts aimed at addressing drug spending in terms of value. (Fernandez, 6/21)

The New York Times: V.A. Plans To Offer Gender-Affirming Surgeries For Transgender Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs plans to offer gender confirmation surgery to transgender veterans, Denis McDonough, the secretary of veterans affairs, announced over the weekend at a Pride event in Orlando, Fla., in a major shift in available care for former service members. “This process will require changing V.A.’s regulations and establishing policy that will ensure the equitable treatment and safety of transgender veterans,” Mr. McDonough said on Saturday at the event, noting that the change would take time. But he said the surgical needs of transgender veterans had been “deserved for a long time.” (Karni, 6/20)

Axios: Scoop: Fauci's Offensive Against "Craziness" 
After becoming a top punching bag for the right, Dr. Anthony Fauci is defending himself with a sharp new edge, arguing that an attack on him is an attack on science. In comments to Kara Swisher on her New York Times "Sway" podcast, shared first with Axios, Fauci says: "It is essential as a scientist that you evolve your opinion and your recommendations based on the data as it evolves. ... And that's the reason why I say people who then criticize me about that are actually criticizing science." (Allen, 6/20)

The Hill: Sullivan: US Will Not Be Issuing 'Threats Or Ultimatums' To China In COVID-19 Origin Investigation
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Sunday that the U.S. would not be issuing "threats or ultimatums" to China as it seeks access for an investigation into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," host Dana Bash pressed Sullivan on what actions the U.S. would take to pressure China to help facilitate an investigation, noting that Sullivan had once said the U.S. wouldn't take China's inaction lying down. Sullivan stated that the U.S.'s approach was on "two tracks." (Choi, 6/20)

Reuters: U.S Extends Travel Restrictions At Canada, Mexico Land Borders Through July 21
U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21, the U.S. Homeland Security Department said on Sunday. The 30-day extension came after Canada announced its own extension on Friday of the requirements that were set to expire on Monday and have been in place since March 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Shepardson, 6/20)

AP: US Sends Taiwan 2.5 Million Vaccine Doses, Tripling Pledge
The U.S. sent 2.5 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan on Sunday, tripling an earlier pledge in a donation with both public health and geopolitical meaning. The shipment arrived on a China Airlines cargo plane that had left Memphis the previous day. Health Minister Chen Shih-chung and Brent Christensen, the top U.S. official in Taiwan, were among those who welcomed the plane on the tarmac at the airport outside of the capital, Taipei. (6/20)

The New York Times: Desperate For Covid Care, Undocumented Immigrants Resort To Unproven Drugs
On a Tuesday afternoon in April, among tables of vegetables, clothes and telephone chargers at Fresno’s biggest outdoor flea market were prescription drugs being sold as treatments for Covid. Vendors sold $25 injections of the steroid dexamethasone, several kinds of antibiotics and the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine — the malaria drugs pushed by President Donald J. Trump last year — make regular appearances at the market as well, as do sham herbal supplements. (Maxmen, 6/20)

The Washington Post: Lotteries As Public Health Incentives Began Before Covid-19
In some parts of the world with more coronavirus vaccine doses than willing takers, attention-grabbing incentives have begun to catch on. Among them: the chance to win big. Ten vaccinated Californians won $1.5 million each in vaccination lotteries last week. A 22-year-old in Ohio became a surprise vaccine millionaire last month. New York, Maryland and other states are also offering major winnings, and as U.S. vaccination rates slow, White House officials have praised the approach. Other countries have begun to follow suit. Two provinces in Canada announced lotteries with hefty cash prizes this month. Moscow is raffling off five cars a week to vaccinated residents. Hong Kong residents who get the shots are eligible to win a luxury apartment or airline tickets. (Parker and Westfall, 6/20)

Politico: Million-Dollar Lotteries Fail To Cut Through Vaccine Apathy
State efforts to juice Covid-19 vaccination rates through million-dollar lotteries haven’t reversed the steep decline in adults seeking out shots when many pockets of the country remain vulnerable to the coronavirus. While Ohio did see a two-week bump in adult vaccination rates last month after becoming the first state to offer sizable cash prizes, the pace of vaccinations there has already fallen off. And states that followed its headline-grabbing example made some small gains without showing evidence of any comparable surge, a POLITICO analysis of federal and state data shows. (Goldberg and Doherty, 6/19)

Axios: Why COVID-19 Vaccine Lotteries May Work 
NBA season tickets. Scholarships. A chance at $5 million. The list of lotteries and raffles states are launching to drive up COVID-19 vaccination rates is growing, and some local officials are already reporting "encouraging" results. The reason why, some psychologists and public health experts say, is that the allure of lotteries for many people is simply that the prospect of winning a great prize seems better than passing up the chance, regardless of the odds. (Saric, 6/21)

AP: 'Protected Them To Death': Elder-Care COVID Rules Under Fire
Pandemic restrictions are falling away almost everywhere — except inside many of America’s nursing homes. Rules designed to protect the nation’s most vulnerable from COVID-19 are still being enforced even though 75% of nursing home residents are now vaccinated and infections and deaths have plummeted. Frustration has set in as families around the country visit their moms and, this Father’s Day weekend, their dads. Hugs and kisses are still discouraged or banned in some nursing homes. Residents are dining in relative isolation and playing bingo and doing crafts at a distance. Visits are limited and must be kept short, and are cut off entirely if someone tests positive for the coronavirus. (Rubinkam, 6/20)

The Hill: Unvaccinated NFL Player Rips League's COVID-19 Rules: 'I'd Rather Die Actually Living'
NFL player Cole Beasley said that he does not plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and threatened to defy league protocol for players amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Hi, I’m Cole Beasley and I’m not vaccinated,” the wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills shared in a statement on Twitter on Friday. “I will be outside doing what I do. I’ll be out in the public. If your scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period.” “I may die of covid, but I’d rather die actually living. I have family members whose days are numbered. If they want to come see me and stay at my house then they are coming regardless of protocol,” he added. (Pitofsky, 6/19)

CNN: World Sickle Cell Day 2021: Scientist Fights For Cure For Herself And Others 
Lakiea Bailey has tried to hide the pain and breathlessness she feels from her disease for most of her life. As a child, she missed weeks out of every school year because of sickle cell -- a painful, genetic disease that's believed to impact 100,000 Americans. Patients' red blood cells are "sickle" shaped and can clump together to impede blood flow to the rest of the body, causing serious problems, including strokes and organ failure. (Chillag, 6/18)

AP: Rabid Dog Imported Into US Sparks Multi-State Investigation
A rabid dog imported into the United States this month has sparked a public health investigation across several states. Health officials say a dog brought to the U.S. from Azerbaijan that ended up with a family in Chester County, Pennsylvania began acting strangely. It later tested positive for rabies and was euthanized. At least 12 people were exposed to the animal. The dog was one of 34 animals — 33 dogs and one cat — imported by an animal rescue organization from Azerbaijan to O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on June 10. (Stobbe, 6/18)

CIDRAP: Seven Countries Report More Vaccine-Derived Polio Cases
Afghanistan and six African nations—reported more polio cases this week, all involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), according to the latest update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Afghanistan's latest case is from Ghanzi in the southeastern part of the country, putting its total for the year at 41. In Africa, Burkina Faso reported two more cVDPV2 cases, one each from Dori and Banfora, which are counted in its 2020 total, which is now 65. Benin reported one case, which involves a patient from Couffo, marking the country's second case of the year. (6/18)

CIDRAP: CDC Looking Into TB Outbreak In Spinal Surgery Patients
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that it's investigating a cluster of tuberculosis (TB) infections in patients who've recently undergone spinal surgery that used a single lot of a bone repair product. The CDC said patients who underwent spinal fusions or fracture repairs using FiberCel products from a single lot (#NMDS210011) are likely to have been exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The agency is recommending that all patients who received this product lot obtain TB treatment, even if they are asymptomatic. (6/18)

CNN: Poor Sleep Linked To Dementia And Early Death, Study Finds 
Older adults who have significant difficulty falling asleep and who experience frequent night awakenings are at high risk for developing dementia or dying early from any cause, a new study finds. "These results contribute to existing knowledge that sleep plays a very important role, each and every night, for reducing our longer term risk for neural cognitive decline and all cause mortality," said study author Rebecca Robbins, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School who specializes in sleep research. (LaMotte, 6/18)

Stat: A California Law That Bans Drug Coupons Failed To Increase Generic Use
A California law that banned coupons for brand-name prescription drugs failed to significantly boost greater use of cheaper generics during its first year, according to a new analysis. The law, which went into effect in January 2018, was one of many gambits by state officials to control the rising cost of prescription drugs. Coupons made an attractive target. Drug makers argue that they lower out-of-pocket expenses for consumers, but critics say coupons are slick marketing tools used to promote higher-cost medicines and eventually, cost the overall health system more money. (Silverman, 6/18)

Axios: Health Care Spending Is Picking Up As Coronavirus Cases Fade 
The coronavirus pandemic forced hospitals and patients to delay care — everything from heart procedures and knee replacement surgeries to lab tests and X-rays — but people have been flocking back to their doctors as coronavirus cases wane. A return to normal levels of care means health care spending is back on the rise, which will continue to strain governmental budgets and people's paychecks. (Herman, 6/21)

Stat: ‘Nobody Is Catching It’: Algorithms Widely Used In Hospitals Are Rife With Bias
The algorithms carry out an array of crucial tasks: helping emergency rooms nationwide triage patients, predicting who will develop diabetes, and flagging patients who need more help to manage their medical conditions. But instead of making health care delivery more objective and precise, a new report finds, these algorithms — some of which have been in use for many years — are often making it more biased along racial and economic lines. (Ross, 6/21)

Stat: How A Buddy System Is Helping Health Workers Grapple With Covid's Toll
Sylvia Perry had mainly worked in primary care before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. But as sick patients started flooding into Massachusetts General Hospital clinics, the nurse practitioner was redeployed to help handle the “onslaught.” It was a “high-stress work environment, lots of unpredictability, long hours, and trauma,” said Perry, who, like so many of her colleagues, wanted to feel cared for and connected as she worked through the crisis. “The only way that we can bring our A-game in caring for patients is to feel grounded and feel like we’re taking care of ourselves.” (Lin, 6/21)

Stat: Medical Journal Argues A Drug Maker's Libel Suit Is A Bid To Chill Research
File this under “Not every legal brief is eye-glazing. ”Two months ago, Pacira Biosciences (PCRX) took the highly unusual step of filing a libel lawsuit against a medical journal, its editor, and the authors of several published papers, arguing the articles were based on “faulty scientific research” and as a result, its only medicine was portrayed as ineffective. (Silverman, 6/18)

The Washington Post: Virginia’s ‘Dangerously’ Full And Short-Staffed Mental Hospitals Seek Federal Funds
Virginia’s state mental hospitals are “dangerously” full, and staffing shortages are leaving facilities “overwhelmed” — a long-standing problem that has been exacerbated by the pandemic, according to the state agency in charge of the facilities. But lawmakers and policy experts hope to use money from the latest federal pandemic relief package to create systematic changes that will free inpatient beds and develop community services to keep people out of hospitals in the first place. “We have the opportunity with these funds to really do something transformational. That is what we are asking for,” said Alison Land, commissioner of the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, which runs the state mental hospitals. (Portnoy, 6/20)

AP: California Weighs Extending Eviction Protections Past June
Gov. Gavin Newsom says California will pay off all the past-due rent that accumulated in the nation’s most populated state because of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, a promise to make landlords whole while giving renters a clean slate. Left unsettled is whether California will continue to ban evictions for unpaid rent beyond June 30, a pandemic-related order that was meant to be temporary but is proving difficult to undo. (Beam, 6/21)

Los Angeles Times: Are L.A. Cops, Firefighters Who Skip COVID-19 Vaccine A Threat?
But despite the priority access and array of incentives, vaccination rates for police, fire and corrections agencies across L.A. and California have lagged well behind the state’s average for adult residents, according to a survey of agencies conducted by The Times. While about 72% of adult Californians and 64% of Los Angeles residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, only about 51% of city firefighters and 52% of LAPD officers are at least partially vaccinated. (Rector, Winton, Smith and Welsh, 6/19)

Gainesville Times: Senate Committee To Examine Spike In Violence Against Health Care Workers During COVID 
Screams are heard from a Northeast Georgia Health System patient room, as the patient pins a nurse against a door and pushes her head into it with his hands. Elsewhere, a patient grabs a member of the staff by the wrist and twists while kicking her in the side of her ribs. These are some of the examples provided by NGHS officials including Kevin Matson, the health system’s vice president of facilities, support services and oncology, regarding the violence against health care workers that has increased in the past year. (Watson, 6/18)

Health News Florida: DeSantis Signs Purple Alert Bill Into Law 
If someone with a disability or brain injury goes missing, a Purple Alert could go out to help find them. That’s due to a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis this past week. Beverly Marshall is from Sebring. She says if a Purple Alert had been in place sooner, her son might still be alive. Her son had a cognitive disability and wandered away from home. He came to a 7-Eleven store but couldn’t ask for help due to his disability. (Gaffney, 6/19)

WLRN 91.3 FM: Proposed Health Rules Scrapped After Hospital Challenges 
After facing nearly a dozen challenges from hospitals across the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has withdrawn a series of proposed rules related to regulating highly specialized health care services. The state Agency for Health Care Administration announced last week it planned to employ a rarely used option called “negotiated rulemaking” to try to reach a compromise on one of the withdrawn proposals, a regulation that would set licensure standards for neonatal intensive care units. (Sexton, 6/20)

Health News Florida: Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Leaves Miami For Test Voyage
Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas left PortMiami on Sunday night on the cruise company’s first simulated cruise to test its COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The ship left Miami about 7 p.m. with a fully vaccinated crew and about 600 volunteer employee passengers. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued a conditional sailing requirements for cruise lines to resume revenue sailings. Options were for ships to execute a test voyage or mandate that 95 percent of the passengers were vaccinated against COVID-19. (6/21)

WUSF Public Media: Red Tide Continues To Cause Fish Kills, Respiratory Irritation Along Pinellas Beaches 
Fish kills that are believed to be caused by red tide have been reported this week in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Also, people have reported respiratory irritation along Pinellas County's beaches that are believed to have been caused by red tide, according to the commission's Friday report. (Newborn, 6/19)

The Washington Post: Japan To Allow Up To 10,000 Domestic Spectators At Olympic Venues Despite Covid Concerns
Olympic organizers will allow spectators at this summer's Tokyo Games but cap attendance at 10,000 people or 50 percent of a venue's capacity, whichever is smaller, they announced on Monday. But they have also warned they could still ban spectators entirely if the situation with covid infections deteriorates dramatically before the Games begin on July 23. Earlier Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he would prefer to see fans in the stands but said if the pandemic situation worsens, banning any from attending is “definitely a possibility.” (Denyer, 6/21)

Axios: Olympic Public Viewing Sites In Tokyo Canceled 
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Saturday said that all public viewing during this summer's Olympics will be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japan Times reports. After meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Koike told reporters that the locations where viewings were scheduled will instead be used as vaccination sites. (Gonzalez, 6/19)

AP: Guinea Declares End To Latest Ebola Outbreak That Killed 12
Guinea has declared an end to an Ebola outbreak that emerged in February and killed 12 people, according to the World Health Organization. The latest outbreak was the first to emerge in Guinea since a deadly outbreak from 2014 to 2016 killed more than 11,300 people in West Africa. That originated in the same region before spreading to neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Guinea’s latest outbreak was declared Feb. 14 after three cases were detected in Gouecke, a rural community in the southern N’zerekore prefecture. There were 16 confirmed and seven probable cases. (Petesch, 6/19)

The New York Times: Brazil Reported One Of The Highest Covid Death Tolls In The World
The Covid-19 death toll in Brazil has now surpassed 500,000, behind only the United States, which marked 600,000 deaths last week, and India, where deaths may range from 600,000 to as high as 4.2 million. Nearly 18 million people have been infected so far, and the country is averaging almost 73,000 new cases and some 2,000 deaths a day, according to official data. But many experts believe the numbers understate the true scope of the country’s epidemic, as they do in India. (Abelson, 6/21)

The New York Times: India’s ‘Black Fungus’ Epidemic Spreads In The Wake Of Covid Crisis
The number of so-called black fungus cases in India shot up to more than 30,000 from negligible levels in just three weeks. The deadly disease has sickened former coronavirus patients across the country, and doctors believe that hospitals desperate to keep Covid-19 patients alive made choices that left them vulnerable.bIndian states have recorded more than 2,100 deaths, according to news reports. The federal health ministry in New Delhi, which is tracking nationwide cases to allot scarce and expensive antifungal medicine, has not released the number of fatalities. (Schmall, 6/21)