Health News Roundup: Advisers to Mexican health regulator to review Pfizer vaccine on Friday; Japan urges "quiet" year-end, but to keep up tourism campaign and more

Americans get stern holiday COVID warning: 'No Christmas parties' A top coronavirus adviser to President-elect Joe Biden delivered a stern holiday message to Americans on Thursday - "no Christmas parties" - and warned they face a COVID-19 siege for weeks to come despite the latest moves toward U.S. government approval of a vaccine.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Advisers to Mexican health regulator to review Pfizer vaccine on Friday

An advisory committee for Mexican health regulator Cofepris will review Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine application on Friday, a health official said, as the country registered another 11,897 coronavirus cases and 671 more deaths. Cofepris' New Molecules Committee will meet at noo for the review, which deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell described as similar to the meeting of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday.

Australia cancels local COVID-19 vaccine development due to HIV false positives

Australia abruptly halted the production of a home-made vaccine against COVID-19 after trials showed it could interfere with HIV diagnosis, the developers said, with the government instead securing additional doses of rival vaccines. The inoculation being developed by the University of Queensland (UQ) and vaccine maker CSL, one of four candidates contracted by the Australian government, was halted after "certain HIV diagnostic assays" returned false positives.

Japan urges "quiet" year-end, but to keep up tourism campaign

Japan's government urged people on Friday to spend a "quiet" year-end after daily coronavirus infections hit a record, but said it would keep providing subsidies to promote tourism despite media reports that it may pause the campaign. "The reports are not true, we will continue to operate it in an appropriate way, striving to prevent infections spreading," the government's top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato, said at a regular press briefing.

Walmart readies pharmacies for COVID-19 vaccine roll out

Walmart Inc said on Thursday it was entering into agreements with U.S. states to administer COVID-19 vaccines, when approved, to customers and employees. The retailer said it was preparing over 5,000 Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies with freezers and dry ice to handle vaccine storage requirements. It was also working with states to support vaccinations in long-term care facilities, if needed.

Factbox: When and which COVID-19 vaccines are likely to be available in Asia

Trial data from Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc and AstraZeneca Plc has shown their experimental vaccines are effective in preventing novel coronavirus infection. While regulatory processes are underway, few Asian countries expect to receive significant amounts of the vaccines initially. Here are estimated distribution time lines, supply deals announced and clinical trials being held in the region.

Where water turns to snow: South Korean ultra-cold warehouse prepares to store Pfizer's vaccine

Some of the rooms in Korea Superfreeze Inc's coldest warehouse are so frigid that a cup of warm water thrown into one will immediately turn into snow. Located 65 km (40 miles) below Seoul and boasting temperatures frostier than an Antarctic winter, the facility would be the best, perhaps only, place in South Korea suitable for bulk storage of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine, says company CEO Kim Jin-ha.

South Korea mobilises military in Seoul as coronavirus cases surge, deaths rise

South Korea will mobilise military forces in the capital Seoul to help frontline health workers deal with a surge in coronavirus, with 689 new cases reported on Friday, and as the death toll and number of patients in critical care rose. Of the new cases, 673 were locally transmitted, which brings the total tally to 40,786, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said. The death toll increased by eight to 572 deaths, KDCA reported.

Singapore approves COVID-19 test using saliva from inside throat

Singapore has approved Advanced MedTech Holdings' COVID-19 kit for use in testing saliva from deep within the throat, the company said, as the country looks to ramp up testing to help re-open its borders and resume more economic activity. The test is the first of its type to receive approval from Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, Advanced MedTech, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singapore state investor Temasek, said in a statement on Thursday.

Americans get stern holiday COVID warning: 'No Christmas parties'

A top coronavirus adviser to President-elect Joe Biden delivered a stern holiday message to Americans on Thursday - "no Christmas parties" - and warned they face a COVID-19 siege for weeks to come despite the latest moves toward U.S. government approval of a vaccine. "The next three to six weeks at minimum ... are our COVID weeks," Dr. Michael Osterholm, a member of Biden's coronavirus advisory board, told CNN. "It won't end after that, but that is the period right now where we could have a surge upon a surge upon a surge."

U.S. FDA advisers overwhelmingly back authorizing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

A panel of outside advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to endorse emergency use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, paving the way for the agency to authorize the shot for a nation that has lost more than 285,000 lives to COVID-19. The FDA is widely expected to authorize emergency use in days. Distribution and inoculations in the United States are expected to begin almost immediately thereafter.