Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo has become the world’s first recipient of the coronavirus vaccine from Covax, a scheme to procure and distribute inoculations for poorer countries.
“It is important that I set the example that this vaccine is safe by being the first to have it so that everybody in Ghana can feel comfortable about taking this vaccine,” the 76-year old president said before receiving a shot of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in a live broadcast.
Mr Akufo-Addo has urged people to get inoculated and not to believe conspiracy theories casting doubt on the programme.
A wider Covax programme will begin in Ghana on Tuesday but health workers in Ivory Coast are being vaccinated on Monday.
The first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo also received a shot, one day before the rest of the 600,000 doses are deployed across the country.
Ghana’s food and drug authority last month authorised the Indian-made vaccine and Russia’s Sputnik V, as the government aims to target 20 million of its 30 million population by year’s end.
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