IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva speaks at a press conference in Vatican (Photo: Reuters/ VNA)

In its most recent World Economic Outlook, the fund projected global growth of 5.9 percent this year and 4.9 percent in 2022, but the United States and other major economies suffered sharp downward revisions after the spread of the Delta variant "caused some friction," Georgieva said at a Reuters event.

The IMF's most-recent forecasts raised concerns that global supply chain issues and uneven distribution of vaccines were slowing the rebound, and causing some countries to be left behind. A surge in demand in many advanced economies coupled with shortages of key components like semiconductors has fueled a wave of prices increases.