Elmo, everyone's favourite red Muppet, has received the COVID-19 vaccine.
by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, Elmo's dad Louie -- also a Muppet -- shared his questions about the COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. Elmo is 3 and a half years old.
"Was it safe? Was it the right decision?' I talked to our pediatrician so I could make the right choice," Louie said in the PSA. "I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbours and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love."
COVID-19 vaccines are now available for children under 5, and parents may have some questions, said Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president of U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop.
"We hope that Louie and Elmo will inspire parents and caregivers across the country to speak with their healthcare providers and seek out information to learn about how the COVID-19 vaccines can keep young children and their families healthy," Betancourt said via email.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency use authorization for the to include children as young as 6 months earlier in June. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky signed off on COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5 on June 17, after the CDC's vaccine advisers that same day to recommend the use of COVID-19 vaccinations for children under 5.
Although these vaccines are now available, some parents are Only 18% of parents of children under 5 said they would vaccinate their child for COVID-19 as soon as a vaccine was available, according to an . And 38% of parents surveyed said they would "wait and see" before vaccinating their young children.
"Nearly 5.7 million child cases of COVID-19 have been reported nationally in 2022 alone, making vaccination an important step to protecting both kids and their families against the highly contagious virus and its variants," a press release from the Ad Council and Sesame Workshop said.
As of June 22, nearly 30% of children ages 5 to 11 and nearly 60% of children ages 12 to 17 were fully vaccinated for COVID-19,
CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen's two children -- who are 2 and 4 years old -- received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, June 27. While Wen was eager to get her children vaccinated, she knows a lot of parents are on the fence.
"We need to respect that people have questions, and this video acknowledges that parents want to do the right thing for our kids and encourages them to seek information from a trusted source -- their pediatrician," Wen said via email.
The PSA both serves as a "beautiful" example of modelling healthy behaviour and a way to help people realize that it is OK to have questions about the vaccine, said Dr. Neha Chaudhary, child psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School and chief medical officer of BeMe Health.
"I imagine there will be kids and parents who watch this and feel like they too can ask those questions, work through them, and go ahead and get the COVID-19 vaccine if their doctor gives them the okay," Chaudhary said via email.
Children form powerful bonds with their favourite media characters, so it can be helpful for children to learn by watching a 'friend' go through something new and potentially scary, said Dr. Jenny Radesky, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.
"It's natural for getting a vaccine to stress out both children and their parents," Radesky said via email. "I appreciate it when media creators cleverly place pearls of knowledge into their stories that help families cope."
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The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.
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Donald Trump returned to North Carolina on Saturday, stumping in the southern battleground state with direct appeals to women, claiming he would be a better champion for them than U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is vying to become the first female president.
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The more Chelsea Walsh talked to the eccentric fellow American who seemed to pop up in every square and cobblestone street of Ukraine's capital, the more she got creeped out.
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The owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant said Friday that it plans to restart the reactor under a 20-year agreement that calls for tech giant Microsoft to buy the power to supply its data centers with carbon-free energy.
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The Amherstburg Freedom Museum is celebrating a year of festivities in anticipation of its 50th anniversary in 2025.
The St. Clair College golf teams were successful at the Niagara Knights Invitational tournament on Friday.
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Despite the heavy rain, plenty of muscle turned up for United Way’s annual Pull the Bus fundraiser in Lethbridge Friday.
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The Lethbridge Hurricanes kicked off the 2024-25 season on a winning note Friday night, defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in a game played at VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
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Jim Lester’s farm hopped on the cow-cuddling trend in early August, and his time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since.
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