The little monster Elmo, from the children’s series Sesame Street, was vaccinated against the coronavirus. The announcement came less than two weeks after the FDA, the agency that regulates drugs in the US, authorized the use of vaccines against Covid-19 in children aged six months to five years.
Elmo, who is three and a half years old on the show, said in a video posted on social media that he felt “a little pinch [no momento da vacina]but everything was fine.” His father, Louie, claimed that the red muppet was “super-duper” while he was given the injection.
“I had a lot of doubts about Elmo getting the vaccine. Is it safe? Is it the right decision? I talked to our pediatrician to make the right choice,” says Louie looking at the camera. “I learned that the vaccine is the best way for Elmo to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love.”
This is not the first time that Sesame Street characters have participated in a campaign to raise awareness of parents and children during the pandemic. Over the past two years, they have appeared in videos that have reinforced the importance of washing your hands, maintaining social distancing and wearing a protective mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
This week, the muppets have come under fire after appearing in the video encouraging the vaccination of children. Texas Senator Ted Cruz shared the Sesame Street post on social media and said that Elmo “aggressively advocates” vaccines for children under five, but “without citing scientific evidence” to that effect. The post went viral.
The FDA claims that immunizers are safe and effective. The agency this month released vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer for children aged six months to five years at smaller doses than for adults.
Trials of Moderna’s vaccine have reported a 51% effectiveness rate in preventing omicron infection for children aged six months to two years and about 37% effective for those aged between two and five years. The Pfizer vaccine, on the other hand, had a 75% effectiveness rate in preventing omicron infection in children aged six months to two years, and 82% between two and four years.
It’s not the first time a Sesame Street character has come under fire for appearing in an awareness campaign. Last year, the yellow bird Garibaldo caused an outcry from denialists after claiming that he took the vaccine in the United States and that he felt more protected against Covid-19. The publication was made after the United States authorized the use of the Pfizer vaccine in children aged 5 to 11 years.
The Garibaldo bird, which in the story is six years old, was attacked on social media. At the time, Arizona state senator Wendy Rogers wrote that the character was a communist for encouraging vaccination.
As of Wednesday, 1,017,467 people had died from the coronavirus in the US, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. It is the country with the highest number of deaths recorded due to the coronavirus in the world. In addition to the United States, at least eight countries already vaccinate children under five against Covid using the Soberana 02 vaccines, from the Sinopharm laboratory, and Coronavac.
