COVID-19 claims about 50,000 lives every week globally, according to the World Health Organization's Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom.

Tedros made the remarks at a media briefing on Wednesday, where he reiterated calls for vaccine equity.

"There is no doubt that the inequitable sharing of those vaccines has cost many lives," said the WHO chief.

"2021 was a year in which we lost 3.5 million people to COVID-19 – more deaths than from HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined in 2020. And still, COVID-19 continues to claim around 50 thousand lives every week," he added.

So far, the disease has killed more than 5.3 million people globally since the onset of the pandemic.

Tedros has been at the forefront in calling for vaccine equity as a means to tackle the virus, noting that no country is safe until all are safe.

In his address on Wednesday, he pointed out that only half of the WHO's Member States have been able to reach the target of vaccinating 40 per cent of their populations by the end of the year, because of distortions in global supply.

"Enough vaccines were administered globally this year that the 40% target could have been reached in every country by September, if those vaccines had been distributed equitably, through COVAX and AVAT," he said.