The Pfizer vaccine was approved for children 5-11 earlier this week. Big Bird, Elmo and more Muppets are encouraging them to get vaccinated.
WASHINGTON — Kids aged 5-11 are now eligible to receive Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine, and some of American’s favorite children’s television characters are encouraging them to get the shot.
The Muppets from PBS and HBO’s “Sesame Street” have spent their weekend telling kids about the vaccine. In fact, Big Bird posted on Twitter Saturday that he has gotten the vaccine himself.
“I got the COVID-19 vaccine today,” the tweet said. “My wing is feeling a little sore but it’ll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”
In addition to posting on social media about the vaccines, Big Bird, Elmo, Grover and more Muppets held a town hall with CNN anchors, fielding questions from children about the vaccines and the coronavirus in general.
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Other tweets from characters like Oscar the Grouch seem to be aimed at allaying fears over the vaccine.
“Apparently, the COVID-19 vaccines won’t make you feel grouchy at all,” Oscar said Saturday. “You might get a sore arm and feel tired, so at least there’s that.
Another Sesame Street character, 5-year-old Rosita, shared with CNN that she received her first dose of the vaccine Saturday morning.
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The Muppets have been encouraging vaccination since the early days of the COVID pandemic. Back in May, when shots were first approved for adults, Elmo and his dad Louie shared their excitement over getting the shot. Elmo himself was especially excited to be able to visit his grandma.
According to an Elmo tweet Saturday, he hasn’t gotten the shot, which makes sense since Elmo’s character is only three years old.
