Health News Roundup: Two more Australian Open players test positive for COVID-19; More stores shutter in Tokyo's high-end Ginza Six mall amid travel bans and more

South Korea may secure additional COVID-19 vaccines from Novavax, Moon says South Korea may secure additional coronavirus vaccines for 20 million people from U.S. drugmaker Novavax Inc, President Moon Jae-in said, according to a statement from the presidential office on Wednesday.

Following is a summary of current health news briefs.

Two more Australian Open players test positive for COVID-19

Two more Australian Open players have tested positive for COVID-19, government officials said on Wednesday, as authorities were at cross-purposes over who would pay for the tournament's quarantine bill. Victoria state police minister Lisa Neville said two players and a non-playing Australian Open participant comprised three new infections reported on Wednesday.

More stores shutter in Tokyo's high-end Ginza Six mall amid travel bans

More than a dozen stores closed in Tokyo's high-end Ginza Six mall this week as the coronavirus pandemic kept big spending foreign tourists and other luxury shoppers away from an upscale shopping district famous for brand-name boutiques. Ginza Six said on Wednesday that around 15 stores, including Italian fashion house Moschino, cosmetics brands Shiseido and Shu Uemura, as well as Salon des Parfums selling Annick Goutal and other fragrance brands, have shut in the past few days.

European countries struggle to make most of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine doses

Some European countries are drawing fewer than the approved six doses from Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine vials, meaning shots are likely going to waste even as nations plead for more. Officials and healthcare professionals in France, Germany and Switzerland all pointed to yields short of six doses, adding to frustrations in countries already lagging vaccination campaigns in nations such as Britain and the United States.

Taiwan cancels more events as local COVID-19 cases rise

Taiwan has canceled or postponed more large-scale events after a rare outbreak of domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases connected to a hospital, where the military has been sent to help with disinfection. Taiwan, which has kept the pandemic well under control thanks to early and effective prevention methods, has been rattled by new domestic transmissions, first in December and now in a hospital in the northern city of Taoyuan.

Japan says vaccination schedule for broader population undecided

Japan's top government spokesman said on Wednesday that the timeline for vaccinating the broader population against the coronavirus would be decided and disclosed to the public after the approval of a vaccine. Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato made the comment at a news conference in response to a question about media reports that the government was considering doing so as early as in May.

Moderna says possible allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccine under investigation

Moderna Inc said on Tuesday it had received a report from California's health department that several people at a center in San Diego were treated for possible allergic reactions to its COVID-19 vaccine from a particular batch. The company's comments come after California's top epidemiologist on Sunday issued a statement recommending providers pause vaccination from lot no. 41L20A due to possible allergic reactions that are under investigation.

South Korea may secure additional COVID-19 vaccines from Novavax, Moon says

South Korea may secure additional coronavirus vaccines for 20 million people from U.S. drugmaker Novavax Inc, President Moon Jae-in said, according to a statement from the presidential office on Wednesday. Novavax entered into a development and supply agreement for its vaccine with South Korea's SK bioscience Co last year, according to a statement in August.

U.S. sets COVID-19 death record for third week, hospitalizations fall

The United States lost more than 23,000 lives to COVID-19 last week, setting a record for the third week in a row, though the number of new infections and the number of patients in hospitals both fell from the previous seven days. The country reported more than 1.5 million new cases of COVID-19 in the week ended Jan. 17, down 12% from the previous week, and only eight out of 50 states posted a rise in new infections, according to a Reuters analysis of state and county reports.

Biden leads observance of America's 400,000 COVID-19 dead on eve of inauguration

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday led a national memorial observance on the eve of his inauguration to honor the 400,000 Americans who have perished from COVID-19 during the 11 months since the novel coronavirus claimed its first U.S. life. The sundown commemoration came hours before President Donald Trump was due to leave the White House for the last time and hand over a country racked by the greatest public health crisis in a century, economic devastation and violent political upheaval.

U.S. Supreme Court rebuffs Merck appeal in hepatitis C patent fight with Gilead

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Merck & Co Inc's bid to revive a $2.54 billion jury verdict it won against rival drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc for infringing a patent in a dispute over a blockbuster hepatitis C treatment. The justices declined to take up Merck's appeal of a lower court's ruling that overturned the massive damages verdict after finding that Merck's patent was invalid.