WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said the COVID-19 pandemic's second year was on track to be its deadliest, as he urged rich countries to reconsider plans to vaccinate children and instead donate COVID-19 shots to the COVAX scheme for poorer countries.

"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," he told a virtual meeting in Geneva.