Health News Roundup: Canada's COVID-19 vaccinations; Dogs can sniff out COVID-19 and more

In the health sector today, Canada is preparing to administer country's first COVID-19 vaccinations while London is set to impose tighter restrictions to control the outbreak. Watch the video below for the top health news stories of December 15 from all across the world.

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

Canada set to administer country's first COVID-19 vaccinations

Canada will begin inoculating people against COVID-19 on Monday after doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine began arriving over the weekend, making Canada one of the few Western nations to roll out a vaccination campaign. Ontario and Quebec, the most populous and hardest hit of Canada's 10 provinces, will administer the first shots of the vaccine developed by German biotech BioNTech SE and Pfizer Inc. Canada is expecting to receive 30,000 doses this week.

Tighter COVID-19 restrictions imposed in London as infections surge

London will move into England's highest tier of COVID-19 restrictions, the government said on Monday, citing increased infection rates that may be partly linked to a new variant of the coronavirus. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said more than 1,000 cases of the new variant had been identified, mainly in southeastern England.

Dogs can sniff out COVID-19

Trained dogs can identify people with COVID-19, even those with no symptoms, according to researchers. In the preliminary study published on Thursday in PLoS One, dogs who sniffed swab samples of armpit sweat could tell which samples came from COVID-19 patients and which were from people who tested negative for the new coronavirus.

South Korea warns of tougher coronavirus restrictions if rules ignored

South Korea's prime minister pleaded with residents on Tuesday to abide by social distancing rules to avoid even greater restrictions in the face of the country's largest wave of coronavirus infections. Daily infection rates are hovering at record levels in the country.

India reports 22,065 new coronavirus cases, lowest daily rise since July 4

India reported 22,065 new coronavirus infections, taking its total to 9.9 million, data from the health ministry showed on Tuesday, making it the lowest daily rise since July 4, according to a Reuters tally. India has recorded the second-highest number of coronavirus cases in the world, after the United States, but daily infections have declined since hitting a peak in September.