The populations of Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire are going to be able to start being vaccinated against Covid-19.

The two West African countries were the first to launch their vaccination campaign on Monday March 1 thanks to the Covax device, intended for poor countries.

While most rich countries have started vaccination campaigns weeks ago, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, 76, on Monday became the first person in the world to receive a dose of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine funded by Covax.

“It is important that I lead by example,” he said.

>> To read: Covid-19: behind the sale and donation of vaccines to Africa, China's "struggle for influence"

In Côte d'Ivoire, the secretary general of the Ivorian presidency, Patrick Achi, was also vaccinated thanks to Covax and nearly four million doses are expected Tuesday in Nigeria.

Colombia, for its part, became the first country in America to receive a batch of Covax vaccines on Monday.

Peru, El Salvador and Bolivia will be the next beneficiaries, according to the WHO.

This system aims to provide anti-Covid vaccines to 20% of the population of nearly 200 countries and territories this year, but above all it includes a financing mechanism allowing 92 low and middle-income economies to have access to precious doses. .

>> To read: Covid-19: Portugal will send a million doses to its former colonies in Africa

Divide between rich and poor countries

The pandemic has deepened the divide between rich and poor countries, and several British associations specializing in international aid warned on Monday of the risk of an increase in famine and humanitarian crisis in certain fragile countries, such as Yemen. .

Same story with the boss of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"It is encouraging to see health workers in low-income countries starting to be vaccinated, but it is unfortunate that this comes almost three months after some of the wealthier countries have started their vaccination campaigns," he said. -he says.

Many voices are also calling for the World Trade Organization (WTO) - which welcomed its new head, Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Monday - to lift patent protections on anti-Covid vaccines to increase their production.

This proposal, put on the table by India and South Africa, is to be debated at the WTO General Council on Monday and Tuesday, but no decision is expected in the absence of consensus.

So far, more than 244 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines have been administered in at least 123 countries or territories, according to a count made by AFP on Monday.

With AFP

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