AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, has joined forces with Africa’s fastest sprinter – Ferdinand Omanyala – who will help lead AHF’s Vaccinate Our World (VOW) campaign on the continent. Omanyala, an African record holder and the eighth fastest man of all time in the 100-metre race, will encourage as many people as possible to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Vaccination rates in Africa are much lower compared to other parts of the world, due to the initial lack of vaccine supply as a result of hoarding by wealthy countries, and hesitancy by a significant number of people to get vaccinated. A 2020 Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) survey in 15 countries found vaccine hesitancy ranging from 4% to 38% despite 79% of respondents willing to take a COVID-19 vaccine.
With nearly 4 billion people already fully vaccinated around the world, COVID-19 vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing severe illness and death from coronavirus. Despite this safety assurance, in Kenya, for instance, only 4.8% of the population is fully inoculated compared to Africa’s average of 8.8%, which is largely attributed to vaccine hesitancy, the limited number of doses and the sporadic nature of the distribution channels.
Speaking during the signing of the agreement between AHF and Omanyala in Nairobi, Kenya, AHF Kenya Country Programme Director Dr. Samuel Kinyanjui said, “We are thrilled that Mr. Omanyala has agreed to collaborate with us on this vital vaccine access initiative. With his help, we hope to spread the word continent-wide that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and essential for ending the pandemic in Africa and globally.”
The AHF-Omanyala agreement will launch with an official VOW campaign video encouraging vaccine uptake in Africa. Omanyala will also engage in conversations with the public that will be broadcast on digital platforms and work to reduce vaccine hesitancy with experts in science, research, and policy.
Welcoming the agreement, Omanyala said, “This vaccination campaign is important for all Africans, and I’m excited to partner with AHF in increasing awareness across the region. We hope that this information reaches as many people as possible, letting everyone know that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the best way to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Because in an interconnected world, the pandemic has made one fact perfectly clear: No nation is safe if even one nation is left unprotected.”
AHF launched the VOW campaign call-to-action in April 2021 across its 45 countries of operation, including Kenya, with the emphasis on vaccine equity, addressing pharma pandemic profiteering, and encouraging people to get vaccinated. Omanyala’s entry into the campaign aims to help Kenya reach its goal to vaccinate its entire adult population by December 2022, in addition to improving vaccination rates across Africa as a whole.
“We are very appreciative that Ferdinand is using his influence as a star track and field athlete to help us highlight the need for vaccine equity and to encourage people to get vaccinated,” said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. “Together we will call on leaders across Africa to do what is necessary to Vaccinate Our World and protect their people from the ongoing pandemic!”
Terri Ford, AHF Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy who joined the signing press conference via video teleconferencing also welcomed the partnership between AHF and Omanyala. “As a successful, young Olympic athlete Ferdinand Omanyala will help us reach young audiences as well as decision makers on the importance of vaccine access and getting vaccinated. As a global non-governmental organization which works in over 45 countries and delivers services to over 1.6 million patients, we are incredible grateful to be able to work together on the Vaccinate Our World Campaign.”
During this awareness drive, Mr. Omanyala will also sensitize the population on the need to follow COVID-19 safety measures, even as Governments such as that of Kenya roll out vaccine mandates requiring all persons must show proof of vaccination for admission into National Parks and Game reserves, hotels, bars and restaurants as well as use of public transport means including domestic flights, train and Passenger Services Vehicles.
