"The pandemic will end when the world chooses to end it. It is in our hands. We have all the tools we need: effective public health tools and effective medical tools. But the world has not used those tools well. With almost 50,000 deaths a week, the pandemic is far from over", Dr Tedros said on Sunday, in his address to the World Health Summit in Berlin.
The WHO chief called on G20 countries that have already vaccinated 40 percent of their population to actively engage in the COVAX mechanism, as well as the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT).
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres called on the G20 to help collect $8 billion to ensure a fair distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world.
Speaking at the World Health Summit in Berlin, Gutteres said that earlier in October, he had joined the WHO chief to launch a global strategy for COVID-19 vaccination, which suggests a credible and cost-effective plan to deliver vaccines to 40 percent of people in all countries by the end of this year and 70 percent by mid-2022.