Elmo gets the COVID vaccine, and says ‘there was a little pinch, but it was OK’

“Elmo bought the COVID vaccine right now, identical to Elmo’s mommy and daddy!” reads a submit from the Muppet’s official Twitter account. “Elmo’s daddy had numerous questions, however Elmo’s physician mentioned the vaccine would assist maintain Elmo wholesome, and all of Elmo’s family and friends too!” 

The tweet included a video tweeted out by the official Sesame Avenue Twitter account that featured Elmo’s dad, Louie, explaining how their household pediatrician really helpful the vaccine, which was not too long ago authorised for the youngest American kids. (Elmo is meant to be 3.)

Associated: COVID vaccines for kids under 5 — what parents need to know

“I had numerous questions on Elmo getting the COVID vaccine. Was it protected? Was it the fitting choice?” Louie says within the minute-long clip. “I talked to our pediatrician so I might make the fitting alternative. I discovered that Elmo getting vaccinated is the finest option to maintain himself, our mates, neighbors and everybody else wholesome and having fun with the issues they love.” 

This video was also shared on YouTube, with feedback turned off.

The tweet drew loads of feedback and reactions, nevertheless, main “Elmo” to development on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon. Reactions had been blended. Some praised the general public well being announcement, whereas others steered Elmo was getting used as a puppet for the CDC. Sen. Ted Cruz was one vocal opponent, tweeting, “Thanks, @sesamestreet for saying mother and father are allowed to have questions! You then have
@elmo aggressively advocate for vaccinating kids UNDER 5.”

The general public service announcement comes from Sesame Workshop, the academic nonprofit behind the “Sesame Avenue” PBS collection, and produced in partnership with the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP has given a “strong recommendation” for administering the authorized COVID-19 vaccinations to all infants, children and adolescents 6 months of age and older who don’t have contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, noting that the vaccines had been evaluated by “a long-standing, rigorous, and clear course of by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration and the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.”

“Many mother and father understandably have questions in regards to the COVID-19 vaccines for younger kids, and we wish to encourage them to ask questions and hunt down data,” Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s senior vice chairman of U.S. social influence, mentioned in a press release. “With assist from Elmo and his dad Louie, we wish to mannequin actual conversations, encourage mother and father’ questions, and assist kids know what to anticipate.”

Certainly, loads of mother and father have had questions on COVID vaccine for teenagers beneath 5. Just one in five parents of kids under 5 said they plan to vaccinate a child right away, in line with a latest Kaiser Household Basis survey. And slightly over half of oldsters with youngsters on this age group mentioned they wanted extra details about the vaccines’ security and effectiveness for younger kids — though with back-to-school only a few months away, well being officers are urging mother and father to get their kids vaccinated directly.

“These are very protected vaccines, and we all know that COVID may be harmful, together with in kids,” Dr. Adam Ratner, a father and the director of pediatric infectious ailments at Hassenfeld Youngsters’s Hospital at NYU Langone, previously told MarketWatch. Greater than 30,000 kids beneath 5 have been hospitalized with COVID-19, and nearly 500 deaths have been reported in that age group. 

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines for kids under 5, learn MarketWatch’s FAQ.

And what did Elmo say about getting the shot? “There was slightly pinch, nevertheless it was OK,” Elmo says within the clip.