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WHO: Donate shots instead of vaccinating children

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also said the second year of the pandemic was set to be more deadly than the first, with India a huge concern as the official tally of infections crossed 24 million, and over 4,000 people died for the third straight day.

WHO's top emergency expert, Mike Ryan, told the same virtual briefing in Geneva that local conditions needed to be taken into account if a country is planning to allow vaccinated people not to wear masks in public.

Senior adviser Bruce Aylward said WHO was in touch with the United States about sharing vaccines with the international COVAX scheme, which distributes doses to poorer countries.