Little Elmo, one of the most beloved characters on Sesame Street, happily received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this Monday after it was authorized weeks ago by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for children 6 months and older.
After a small puncture, the young three-and-a-half-year-old muppet said he was fine and happy to have a "super-duper" band-aid.
"It was a little prick, but everything is fine. Elmo is happy that daddy and baby David went with him," the furry red-haired boy said in a video that was broadcast on the Sesame Workshop channel on the YouTube streaming platform.
Elmo's dad, Louie, meanwhile, reminded parents that it's OK to have questions and encouraged viewers to talk to a pediatrician or health care provider to get the latest data on vaccines, which have been shown to reduce the chances of severe illness and hospitalization from COVID-19.
Elmo was joined by his father Louie, who just a year ago received the adult vaccine, which, in his own words, "allowed him to start socializing more freely with the people around him."
Louie did not wait to hear the various questions that arose before vaccinating his little Elmo, such as, for example, "Is it safe? Was it the right decision?", questions that he considered pertinent for Elmo's pediatrician.
“I talked to our pediatrician so I could make the right decision. I learned that Elmo getting his vaccine is the best way for him, our friends, neighbors and all of us to stay healthy and doing the things we love,” Louie said.
This is not the first time Elmo has gone to the doctor, but it is the first time he has been vaccinated against COVID-19, and he knows very well how to approach this topic, since previously in the Sesame Street panel: The ABCs of COVID Vaccines, in which he participated, he did so with the same question: Can children under five be vaccinated?
At that time – November 2021 – the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine was approved for children ages five to 11 in doses just one-third the amount given to adolescents and adults.
In this campaign, a total of 28 million children in that age range were vaccinated.
The minute-long video, endorsed by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), was broadcast in English and Spanish.
The public service announcement (PSA), featuring Elmo and his father Louie, encourages parents and caregivers to educate themselves about COVID-19 vaccines so they can get the necessary doses for their children, thereby protecting them and the community around them from the disease.
The new ad is the latest in a series featuring the Sesame Street Muppets, first targeting vaccinations for adults and more recently for children ages 5 and up.
There were nearly 5.7 million childhood cases of COVID-19 nationwide in 2022 alone, making vaccination an important step in protecting children and their families from this highly contagious virus and its variants.
According to the AAP, only 29 percent of children ages 5 to 11 and 59 percent of adolescents ages 12 to 17 in the United States were fully vaccinated as of early June.
New research from the nonprofit Ad Council found that 52 percent of parents are undecided about whether to vaccinate their children older than six months and younger than 5 years.
However, the analysis also found that more than 50 percent of parents believe their children under age 5 are at higher risk of contracting a COVID-19 infection in public settings, particularly in out-of-home and public childcare settings.
"With summer activities starting and the new school year approaching, vaccines will help protect children in these public settings that parents say make them more vulnerable," the nonprofit educational organization Sesame Workshop said in a statement.
Children under 5 years of age will be considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with two doses of the Moderna vaccine – one-quarter of the adult dose – four weeks apart, or three doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine – one-tenth of the adult dose – with the first two doses administered three weeks apart and a third at least eight weeks after the second dose.
“Our work with Sesame Workshop has been invaluable in helping us connect parents and caregivers with the accurate information they need as they decide whether to vaccinate their children against COVID-19, an important decision many must make ahead of the upcoming school season,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council.
In addition to the new announcement, Sesame Workshop is publishing additional bilingual resources for parents, caregivers and providers to answer common questions in an age-appropriate manner and provide strategies to help children prepare for vaccination.
“With the help of Elmo and his dad Louie, we want to model real conversations, encourage questions from parents and help kids know what to expect,” said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. Social Impact at Sesame Workshop.
In December, 6-year-old Big Bird and his Granny Bird appeared in a video for parents and caregivers of children ages 5 to 12, who also received the vaccine, just like Rosita.
It is worth noting that the CDC recommends vaccination even for those who have already had COVID-19 to protect against reinfection, and has noted that it is OK to receive other vaccines at the same time.
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