Health News Roundup: Military nurses in COVID-hit areas in Japan; Indonesia receives vaccine shipment and more

Watch the video below for top health news stories of December 7 from all across the world.

Devdiscourse brings you the top health news stories of the day from all across the world.

Pfizer's COVID-19 shots could be shipped within 24 hours after Canadian approval

Shipment of COVID-19 vaccines in Canada could start within 24 hours after Canadian health authorities approve the shots, a top official of pharmaceutical company BioNTech told CBC on Sunday, comparing it with the timeline achieved in Britain. A vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is expected to be the first to secure approval in Canada, though the country has signed supply deals with seven manufacturers.

Japan preparing to send military nurses to areas hit hard by virus

Japan is preparing to send nurses from the Self-Defense Forces to Osaka and Hokkaido to help treat a surge in coronavirus infections as soon as the two prefecture governments request it, chief government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said on Monday. Kyodo News reported that Japan's northern Hokkaido prefecture was planning to ask the government to send Self-Defense Force nurses. The prefecture has seen infection clusters at two hospitals, Kyodo said.

Germany's Bavaria region to tighten coronavirus lockdown

The southern German region of Bavaria, which has so far recorded the country's highest coronavirus death toll, announced on Sunday that it will impose a tougher lockdown from Wednesday until Jan. 5. People in Bavaria will only be able to leave their homes with good reason, state premier Markus Soeder told a news conference, adding that there would be some relaxation in the rules for Christmas but not for New Year celebrations.

Indonesia receives first COVID vaccine from China's Sinovac

Indonesia received its first shipment of coronavirus vaccine from China on Sunday, President Joko Widodo said, as the government prepares a mass inoculation program. Jokowi, as the president is widely known, said in an online briefing that the Southeast Asian country received 1.2 million doses from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd., a vaccine Indonesia has been testing since August.

South Korea tightens curbs in Seoul as COVID-19 cases hit 9-month high

South Korea will impose heightened social distancing rules for the capital Seoul and surrounding areas, health officials said on Sunday, as authorities struggle to contain the nation's largest wave of coronavirus infection in nine months. The decision comes after the government implemented unprecedented measures on Saturday in a country that had seen initial success through aggressive contact tracing and other steps.