Coronavirus gets own satellite channel

That Coronavirus Disease 19 is the most important issue in the world presently, and has been for at least five months counting from March 2020, cannot be disputed.

If it was a human being, it would be classified among those known as VIPs (Very Important Persons) and would get the sort of first class treatment they do.

Bodyguards protecting them, travelling by private jet, lodging in penthouses at five-star hotels, meetings with other VIPs like them and all of those trappings.

COVID-19 is however not human but it’s very important in its own right and its therefore getting its own due of VIP treatment.

It’s the main issue on everyone’s minds, dictates everyone’s agenda now and the whole world is presently geared toward researching it to know how to please it better, survive with it and take it out of the picture for good.

Knowledge is power in this regard and it can only be driven by the proper dissemination of information so people can know how to relate with it.

To this end, SES has launched a free-to-air satellite channel to fight the continuing spread of COVID-19 with reliable, critical, informative COVID-19 messages for rural communities.

Millions of households across Africa, Europe and Asia-Pacific will be able to access the, Fight COVID-19,  satellites that is dedicated to delivering reliable, informative content about COVID-19 and broadcasts content aimed at providing underserved and rural communities with critical information about how to limit the spread of the virus.

The content is provided by trusted organisations such as UNICEF and AFP as well as global EdTech social enterprise www.Potential.com with the aim to impartially inform TV viewers about identifying COVID-19 symptoms, the recovery process and how to manage the effects of a global pandemic such as managing a household, children or mental health.

The channel will be broadcast free-to-air from SES’s satellite fleet and available in the following regions:

ASTRA 4A at 5 degrees East for Sub-Saharan Africa

ASTRA 2F at 28.2 degrees East for West Africa

ASTRA 4A at 5 degrees East for Ukraine

NSS-12 at 57 degrees East for Ethiopia and adjacent countries

SES-9 at 108.2 degrees East for the Philippines

“Our lives have been disrupted by COVID-19 in the last few months, and unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Through the global reach of satellite, we’re in a position to contribute our resources wisely to help provide important information to vulnerable communities,” said Steve Collar, CEO of SES. “We have been really fortunate to be able to collaborate with UNICEF, AFP and www.Potential.com who are willing to contribute their content for this good cause. Together, we hope to reach a wide group of audiences with reliable and trustworthy content and do our part in helping slow the spread of COVID-19.”

Just good of you, SES.