Nearly two months after the delivery of half a million Astrazeneca vaccines doses, the Ivorian authorities are struggling to draw people to vaccination centres amid fears over the jab's safety and widespread misinformation. FRANCE 24's Thaïs Brouck and Sam Bradpiece have this report.
Less than 0.5% of Ivory Coast's population of 25 million has been vaccinated so far, making the prospect of the West African country attaining herd immunity a distant mirage.
The campaign has been hampered by the decision to suspend the AstraZeneca vaccine in a number of European countries due to blood clot fears.
Faith in the jab has also been undermined by doubts over its efficacy against the 501YV2 variant discovered in South Africa, along with rumours and misinformation on social media.
"There are lots of people who are very hesitant," says Dr Adèle Telly, head of the Parc des Sports vaccination centre in Abidjan, Ivory Coast's most populous city. "So truly, we need to intensify our communication efforts to convince people to get vaccinated."
Click on the video player above to watch the full report.
