Ivory Coast Administers COVID-19 Vaccine

Medical workers administered COVID-19 vaccines in Ivory Coast on March 1, among the first doses given in Africa under the global COVAX vaccine initiative.

Over 500,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine arrived in Ivory Coast on February 26. That week, some 600,000 doses were also shipped to Ghana.

COVAX is a joint program led by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and Gavi, a global vaccine alliance.

The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines received by Ivory Coast were produced in India, UNICEF reported.

This footage shows doses being administered at a vaccine center in Abidjan. Among those who received a vaccine on March 1 was a health worker named Phénix Azian.

“This morning I came to have my vaccination against COVID-19. The health of the public begins with our health, so as a health worker, as a nurse I’m getting vaccinated, to protect myself and all those dear to me," he said. Credit: UNICEF via Storyful