The president of Ghana was the first person to be publicly vaccinated with a vaccine provided free of charge through Covax. This international program also gives developing countries access to vaccines.

76-year-old Nana Akufo-Addo said he wanted to show his countrymen that the AstraZeneca drug is safe.

Ghana was the first country to receive vaccines through Covax last week. It involved 600,000 doses. President Akufo-Addo had already addressed fellow countrymen who do not trust vaccines on Sunday. “Taking the vaccine won’t change your DNA, doesn’t put a tracking device in your body, or make men and women sterile.”

The authorities in Ghana officially start their vaccination campaign on Tuesday. Neighbouring country Ivory Coast will start vaccinating on Monday, making it the first country worldwide to use Covax vaccines on a large scale. Hundreds of people were already queuing in the morning at a sports complex in the metropolis of Abidjan.

About 145 countries participate in the Covax program.

They must receive more than 337 million doses in the first half of the year, enough to vaccinate about 3 percent of their total population. Many rich countries have concluded deals with pharmaceuticals themselves or through the EU and started vaccinating at the end of last year.