COVID vaccines: Give doses to COVAX not kids, WHO urges - DW (English)

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The second year of the global coronavirus pandemic is set to be more deadly than the first, the World Health Organization has warned.

The World Health Organization (WHO) urged rich countries on Friday to consider donating COVID-19 vaccine shots to the COVAX distribution scheme before vaccinating children.

"I understand why some countries want to vaccinate their children and adolescents, but right now I urge them to reconsider and to instead donate vaccines to COVAX," said WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a virtual meeting in Vienna, Austria.

Ghebreyesus said the second year of the pandemic will likely be more deadly than the first, with India becoming a major concern.

"In low and lower-middle income countries, COVID-19 vaccine supply has not been enough to even immunize healthcare workers, and hospitals are being inundated with people that need lifesaving care urgently," he added.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Social distancing, a farce?

  People — many without masks — shop at a vegetable market in Mumbai. India has been struggling to contain a massive coronavirus outbreak, with nearly 24 million infections recorded to date. The country has logged around 260,000 deaths linked to the virus. According to medical experts, these numbers are vastly underreported.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Shortage of essential supplies

  A young man unloads empty oxygen cylinders for refilling in Srinagar, Kashmir. India's health infrastructure has been under severe stress in recent days, with several states reeling under the shortage of medical oxygen, essential drugs, beds, health workers and vaccines, among other vital supplies.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Crematoriums overrun by bodies

  Volunteers at a nonprofit organization carry bags full of unclaimed ashes belonging to COVID-19 victims at a crematorium in New Delhi. As the intense second coronavirus wave grips India, apocalyptic scenes of mass cremations have emerged, as queues of bodies wait outside overwhelmed crematoriums.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Disregarding scientific evidence

  A man bathes in cow milk to remove cow dung from his body during "cow dung therapy" at a cow shelter on the outskirts of the city of Ahmedabad. Participants believe cow excrement boosts their bodies' ability to defend against the virus. The Indian government has faced heightened criticism for ignoring scientific evidence and warnings about variants.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Concern over new variants

  A worker carries bricks on her head in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the B.1.617 coronavirus variant — first detected in India last October — as a "variant of concern." Epidemiologists note that this variant may be more resistant to vaccines.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  No nationwide lockdown

  Policemen check the credentials of delivery personnel from India's leading food delivery service, Zomato, in the southern city of Kochi. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has refused to announce a nationwide lockdown over economic concerns, several states have imposed strict restrictions and nighttime curfews to curb spread of the virus.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Scramble to reach home

  A woman arrives at a bus stand in Jaipur to leave for her hometown, after authorities in the western state of Rajasthan announced a lockdown. Many people have left bigger cities for their towns and villages in order to avoid a repeat of the massive migrant crisis that accompanied India's first coronavirus lockdown last year.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Living with the virus?

  A young man is seen carrying cans of beer as liquor shops in several districts of Uttar Pradesh are reopened. The northern state, led by Modi ally Yogi Adityanath, has registered one of the largest outbreaks in the country. In recent days, several bodies have washed up on the shores of the river Ganges, which runs through the state. Many believe that they belong to victims of the virus.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  Politics amid pandemic

  Catholic nuns wear protective face masks as they wait to cast their votes outside a polling station in Kolkata. The government has been under fire for holding regional elections and massive rallies during a time when the country was descending into chaos over the new surge. Since the onset of the pandemic, West Bengal state has recorded more than 1.05 million infections so far.

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  COVID in India: Life goes on as dead bodies pile up

  A long road ahead

  A man dressed as a clown sprays disinfectant outside a house in Mumbai. He told Reuters that he wears other different costumes aside from dressing up as a clown to raise awareness and spread information about the coronavirus. Many in India fear that the second wave is far from stemmed and if the virus spreads unabated, mass grief and mourning may soon be replaced by apathy.

  Author: Seerat Chabba

Which nations have begun vaccinating children?

Canada approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children at least 12 years old last week, and the US began giving vaccines to the same age group earlier this week.

The other vaccines, including Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, have only been approved for adults who are at least 18.

What is the state of the global vaccination drive?

Nearly 1.4 billion vaccine doses have been given out in at least 210 countries, according to a tally by news agency AFP.

But 44% of those doses went to high-income countries that account for 16% of the global population. Just 0.3% have been given in the 29 lowest-income countries, which is home to 9% of the world population.

"Saving lives and livelihoods with a combination of public health measures and vaccination — not one or the other — is the only way out," said Ghebreyesus.

Senior WHO adviser Bruce Aylward said the health agency was in touch with the United States about sharing vaccines with COVAX.

"They recognize that sharing those doses may help ensure greater impact overall," said Aylward during the virtual meeting. "They want to be ready when the doses are ready…we're working in parallel."

kbd/rt (AFP, Reuters)

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