Africa CDC and MTN accelerate fight against COVID-19 with “One More Push” Campaign

15 July 2021

The ‘One More Push’ Campaign is aimed at complementing the ‘Adapted Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Pandemic’ of the African Union

The campaign is a motivational call across the region to inspire the masses to keep up the fight against covid 19 through strict adherence to the COVID-19 SOPs as well as vaccination to foster herd immunity.

The MTN CEO Wim Vanhelleputte wears a mask before virtually launching last year's MTN Wear it for me Campaign

MTN Uganda has today rolled out yet another campaign dubbed ‘One More Push” with the aim of strengthening masses in the fight against the deadly COVID-19. The “One More Push” campaign is spearheaded by The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, (Africa CDC) and pan-African operator MTN Group. The joint campaign is meant to encourage people across the continent to not give up in the fight against COVID-19 and to continue to wear their masks, wash their hands and practice social distancing as well as getting vaccinated against the deadly virus.

Uganda, like many countries across the continent, has been hit with a more ravaging wave of the virus that has seen the country register more deaths than before. Moreover, this is happening at a time when masses suffer from increased apathy, mask fatigue, vaccine myths and misinformation, and overall concern about vaccine efficacy and safety. This calls for renewed effort and zeal in deliberately fighting the spread of the disease. Therefore, the ‘One More Push’ campaign has been launched to inspire and motivate the masses to give the fight against COVI-19, one more push.

Commenting about the new wave and the One More Push campaign, Dr. John Nkengasong the Africa CDC Director said that; “With third and fourth waves of COVID-19 sweeping across parts of Africa, we cannot overstate the importance of everyone doing their best right now to keep the virus at bay. This campaign aims to encourage people to keep practicing the preventative measures we know can limit the spread of COVID-19.”

‘One More Push’ is a renewed drive to encourage the public not to give up now. It asks that all of us keep our masks on, wash or sanitize our hands, and maintain a physical distance from each other until it is safe to no longer do so. In this way, we will be able to get back to the ‘old normal’ sooner rather than later.

Wim Vanhelleputte, the MTN Uganda CEO noted that; “The ‘One More Push’ campaign is about encouraging the people of Uganda and Africa to remain vigilant in fighting COVID-19, at a time when we are experiencing new waves of infections.

“Uganda is currently in the middle of the second wave of this pandemic which has been more detrimental than the first wave. In these times, we all ought to double our efforts to safeguard ourselves and loved ones against the deadly disease.” Mr. Vanhelleputte said.

“As we continue with the distribution of vaccines across the continent, we all need to keep focused on overcoming COVID-19. We implore everyone to keep up the fight. Let’s all give it one more push.” said Dr. Nkengasong.

The awareness campaign is an extension of the African Union’s ‘Adapted Africa Joint Continental Strategy for COVID-19 Pandemic’ endorsed by Africa’s Health Ministers and aligned to the ‘Prevent, Monitor and Treat’ approach. It is also an extension of the partnership between the Africa CDC and MTN, which includes the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to health workers across the continent through the Group’s US$25 million donations.

A key part of the campaign is onemorepushafrica.com, a digital content hub of credible and authoritative third-party content covering all things related to COVID-19. This includes facts about getting vaccinated, advice from leading healthcare bodies and medical experts, and important information from the Africa CDC.

Visit onemorepushafrica.com for trustworthy content around vaccinations and the virus and to let us know what you are keeping your mask up for. Follow the #OneMorePushAfrica conversation on social media.

MTN Uganda has been instrumental in the fight against COVID-19 since the onset of the virus, early last year. The most outstanding among its series of interventions is last year’s ‘Wear it for me’ campaign that urged the masses to practice mask-wearing alongside the other standard operating procedures as a way to prevent the spread of the lethal COVID-19 virus.

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