NEW YORK (United States): The U.N. Secretary-General warned Wednesday the coronavirus pandemic is “out of control,” and he called for global solidarity in making a future vaccine affordable and available to all.

“The virus is the No. 1 global security threat in our world today,” Antonio Guterres told reporters.

Guterres spoke ahead of Tuesday’s start of the U.N. General Assembly annual debate, which typically draws more than a hundred presidents, prime ministers and other senior officials to New York each year. But due to the pandemic, leaders will send pre-recorded video messages, and side meetings will be held virtually.

Recognizing that many pin their hopes on a vaccine, he said, “ let’s be clear: there is no panacea in a pandemic ”.

“We need a vaccine for everybody, everywhere – in affordable conditions – because we will only be safe if everybody is safe.” Ahead of #UNGA, @antonioguterres discusses #COVID19, #ClimateAction & other pressing global issues. https://t.co/Q7NPz8OLXP pic.twitter.com/8DQTI53ySs — United Nations (@UN) September 16, 2020

“A vaccine alone cannot solve this crisis, certainly not in the near term”, stressed the world’s top diplomat. “We need to massively expand new and existing tools that can respond to new cases and provide vital treatment to suppress transmission and save lives, especially over the next 12 months”.

He emphasized that because the virus “respects no borders”, a vaccine must be seen as “a global public good”, affordable and available to all, but it requires “a quantum leap in funding”.

Moreover, people must be willing to be vaccinated, but a proliferation of misinformation on vaccines is fueling vaccine-hesitancy, and igniting wild conspiracy theories, noted the UN chief.

He spoke of “alarming reports” that large populations in various countries are reluctant, or outright refusing, to take a new coronavirus vaccine.

“In the face of this lethal disease, we must do our utmost to halt deadly misinformation”, affirmed the Secretary-General.

“ I’m very worried. The pandemic has shown us the enormous fragility of the world. Not only in relation to COVID-19 but also in relation to climate change, to the lawlessness in cyberspace, the risks of nuclear proliferation, to the impacts of inequality in the cohesion of societies.

A microscopic virus has put us on our knees. This should lead to a lot of humility in world leaders, and to unity and solidarity in the fight against COVID-19. But we know that there has been no unity. Each country has adopted its own strategy, and we see the results: the virus has progressed everywhere.

In developing countries, people are suffering so much from this lack of solidarity. This is negative for everybody because if we are not able to properly address COVID-19 in these countries, the virus goes back and forth and we will all pay a heavy price, even in the richest countries in the world,” he added.

There have been nearly 30 million confirmed cases worldwide of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and more than 936,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which tracks global data on the virus.