Sesame Street's Elmo Gets His First COVID Vaccine Shot

Elmo, one of Sesame Street's most beloved Muppets, has now received his COVID-19 vaccine. On Tuesday, Sesame Workshop released a public service announcement featuring Elmo along with his dad Louie that revealed Elmo received the vaccine. Elmo is canonically just three and a half years old. In the PSA, Louis says he had questions about the vaccine, but spoke with his pediatrician to make an informed choice while Elmo noted that the shot itself wasn't too bad. You can check out the PSA for yourself below.

"Was it safe? Was it the right decision?" Louie says in the PSA. "I talked to our pediatrician so I could make the right choice. I learned that Elmo getting vaccinated is the best way to keep himself, our friends, neighbors and everyone else healthy and enjoying the things they love."

Elmo is just the latest Sesame Street character to get their COVID-19 vaccine. Big Bird, who is canonically 6 years old, received his vaccine in November and was also featured in a PSA. Elmo's vaccination comes after the US Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this month that they had granted emergency use authorization for both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for children ages 6 months and older. Children 5 an under will be considered full vaccinated against the illness with two doses of the Moderna vaccine (a quarter of the dose for adults) spaced four weeks apart or three doses of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine (a tenth of the dose for adults) with the first two doses spaced three weeks apart and the third at least eight weeks after the second.

"Many parents understandably have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines for young children, and we want to encourage them to ask questions and seek out information," Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, SVP of U.S. social impact at Sesame Workshop, said in a statement. "With help from Elmo and his dad Louie, we want to model real conversations, encourage parents' questions, and help children know what to expect."

This PSA isn't the first time that Elmo and his dad have appeared in messages related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, Louie reminded parents to take time for themselves during quarantine. They also appeared in a PSA last May about the vaccine as well in which Louie got his own vaccine.

What do you think about Elmo getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.