Large numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations and more immunocompromised people in general are fueling a global spread of a different threatening microbe: invasive fungi.

Why it matters: These infections cause more than 1.6 million deaths worldwide every year, and the microorganisms responsible for them are starting to evade the small supply of antifungal drugs.

“Out of all the [hospitalized] people who have gotten bacterial infections, 5% will die from those infections. And that’s a lot. … When it comes to life-threatening fungal infections, 50% of those patients will die from that infection. And that message really isn’t being told.”

— Ciara Kennedy, former president and CEO, Amplyx Pharmaceuticals

Read the full story here.