Axios

The surge in COVID-19 cases in India that resulted in cases of Mucormycosis, a "black fungus" infection, may have been caused by an excessive uses of steroids to treat patients, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Why it matters: “The pandemic has precipitated an epidemic," Bela Prajapati, an ear, nose and throat specialist, told the Times about the spread of black fungus infections.

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.

What he's saying: 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."

A Uganda Olympic team member tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan late Saturday, officials said.

Why it matters: Japan's government has faced criticism for vowing to host the Tokyo Games next month as coronavirus cases rise. The Ugandan team is the second to arrive in Japan after the Australian women's softball players, and this is the first COVID-19 infection detected among the Olympic athletes, Al Jazeera notes.

Demonstrators took to the streets in at least 22 of Brazil’s 26 states to protest President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the pandemic — as deaths from COVID-19 in the country surged past 500,000 Saturday, per AP.

The big picture: Brazil has the world's second-highest coronavirus death toll and third-highest number of reported cases. Only 12% of the country's population has been vaccinated against the virus, AP notes.

The Department of Veteran Affairs is beginning the process of offering gender affirmation surgeries through its health care system, Veteran Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough announced during a Pride event in Florida on Saturday.

Why it matters: The change would greatly expand the care available to transgender veterans, since the surgeries have never been widely covered by the department's health care plan.

The United States is shipping 2.5 million vaccine doses to Taiwan as the island faces its first major coronavirus outbreak, State Department spokesman Ned Price announced Saturday.

The big picture: The United States initially pledged to donate 750,000 doses, but the number increased after President Biden said the United States would send 80 million shots made in the U.S. around the world, per Reuters, which first reported on the shipment.

State and federal health agencies are investigating a tuberculosis outbreak among more than 100 people who had spinal surgeries this spring that involved the use of a bone repair product potentially contaminated by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the species of bacteria that causes the disease, according to the Washington Post.

Why it matters: Eight people who were given the malleable bone putty developed by Aziyo, a regenerative medicine company, died after their surgeries, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are still determining the patients' deaths.

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.

The state of play: 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.

The World Health Organization on Saturday declared that the Ebola outbreak that had emerged in Guinea is over.

The state of play: WHO said Guinean health officials were able to move swiftly to contain the disease. A total of 16 people were confirmed to have been infected, with seven additional probable cases, and 12 people died.