The United Nations has expressed concern over the number of lives lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the UN, five million lives have been lost due to the pandemic.

"Today, the human family crosses a painful new threshold — five million lives lost to Covid-19. These are not numbers on a page.  They are mothers and fathers.  Brothers and sisters.  Daughters and sons.  Family, friends, and colleagues. Lives cut short by a merciless virus that respects no borders," UN General Secretary, Antonio Guterres said in a release.

He further bemoaned the low numbers vaccinated against the virus in Africa, warning that this could compound the burden on health facilities in African countries.

"This devastating milestone reminds us that we are failing much of the world.  While wealthy countries are rolling-out third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, only about five percent of people in Africa are fully vaccinated. This is a global shame," he said.

"Five million deaths should also stand as a clear warning: we cannot let our guard down. We are still seeing more deaths. Overcrowded hospitals and exhausted health workers. And the risk of new variants spreading and claiming more lives.

"At the same time, other dangerous threats continue to allow Covid-19 to thrive — misinformation, vaccine hoarding and vaccine nationalism, and lack of global solidarity," he added.

He, thus, urged world leaders to fully support the Global Vaccination Strategy which was launched with the World Health Organization last month. 

"We need to get vaccines into the arms of 40 percent of people in all countries by the end of this year — and 70 percent by mid-2022. I call on them to deliver with urgency and scale, address funding gaps, and coordinate their actions for success."

"It would be a mistake to think that the pandemic is over. As restrictions ease in many places, we must also match vaccines with vigilance — including through smart and proven public health measures like masking and social distancing," he added.

"The best way to honour those five million people lost — and support health workers fighting this virus every day — is to make vaccine equity a reality by accelerating our efforts and ensuring maximum vigilance to defeat this virus."