WASHINGTON – The ONE Campaign, the global health and anti-poverty organization co-founded by Bono, today launched “Pandemica,” an animated series created to raise awareness of the critical importance of global vaccine access in ending the pandemic. The series features characters voiced by Patrick Adams, Samuel Arnold, Bono, Connie Britton, Penélope Cruz, Meg Donnelly, Danai Gurira, Nick Kroll, Laura Marano, Kumail Nanjiani, David Oyelowo, Phoebe Robinson, Michael Sheen, Wanda Sykes, and Calum Worthy. Pandemica is like a pandemic purgatory – no one is sure how long they will be stuck there or if they can ever leave.

The fastest way to end the COVID-19 pandemic is to ensure vaccines are available to everyone, everywhere. But, people living in the world’s poorest countries are being left behind. Less than 1% of doses administered globally have gone to people in low-income countries while a handful of wealthy countries have enough vaccines to inoculate their entire populations and still have more than 1 billion doses left over. That includes 550 million excess doses secured by the US alone. And, without every country able to roll-out vaccinations, we could see twice as many deaths.

“Pandemica’s animated world animates a simple truth – that where you live shouldn’t determine whether you get these life-saving shots,” said Bono, lead singer, U2 and co-founder of ONE and (RED). “Even while many of us still wait our turn, we need to commit to making sure that billions of people around the world aren’t left at the back of the line. It’s the right thing to do, obviously, but it’s also the only way out of this pandemic for all of us. If the vaccine isn’t everywhere, this pandemic isn’t going anywhere.”

“Pandemica is a compelling illustration of the inequality around the world,” said Penélope Cruz, who lends her voice in the Pandemica series. “I hope that everyone who watches this series will use their voice and take action to ensure that no one gets left behind.”

“We’re all trapped in Pandemica, but only some can get out. This virus thrives on inequality, and right now billions of people around the world are seeing the promise of a vaccine, but not the opportunity to receive it,” said David Oyelowo, actor and mountaineer in Pandemica. “We must step up and do what it takes to end this pandemic for everyone, everywhere.”

Gayle Smith, President and CEO of ONE, added, “This virus has waged war on the world, and we need to fight back with all we’ve got. Vaccine access isn’t just about what’s fair, it’s also about what’s smart – we can’t end a global pandemic until we stop the virus from spreading and mutating everywhere.”

To watch the Pandemica series and learn more on how you can use your voice to end the pandemic, go to www.one.org/pandemica and on the ONE Campaign’s YouTube channel. The episodes will be released in the US, Canada, the UK, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy. Episodes can be found subtitled or translated into French, German, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, and Pidgin English. This series will be promoted globally in partnership with Vox Media, Discovery, and BuzzFeed. In Germany, the series will be promoted and distributed in cooperation with the digital production company Brainpool Live Artist & Brand (BLAB).

Background

Pandemica is an animated series created to raise awareness of the critical importance of getting vaccines to all countries as quickly as possible. The Pandemica series is part of ONE’s ONE World Campaign, which calls for a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last summer, ONE launched #PassTheMic, a campaign featuring global health, economic, and policy experts, frontline workers, and celebrities joining together to discuss the need for a global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Analysis from ONE finds that five countries (Australia, Canada, Japan, UK, and US) plus the EU block of 27 countries have enough vaccine supply to inoculate their entire populations and still have more than 1 billion doses left over to share. These excess doses would be sufficient to vaccinate the entire adult population of Africa. Without global access to vaccines, we could see the death toll double and the global economy stands to lose as much as $9.2 trillion if governments fail to ensure developing economy access to COVID-19 vaccines.

Pandemica is illustrated by artist Andrew Rae with animation by Titmouse and music & sound design by father, and created and produced in partnership with hive. hive is a global collective of creative, marketing, and policy experts who build new funding models, strategies, and campaigns for their clients and partners that accelerate change and make the world fairer. Founded by women, it donates 10% of its profits to empower women and girls. Everything hive does is designed to make a difference. @ahiveco ahive.com

About The ONE Campaign

ONE is a bipartisan, global organization campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable disease by 2030, so that everyone, everywhere can lead a life of dignity and opportunity. We urge governments to do more to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, and empower citizens to hold their governments to account. Read more at www.one.org