'I vaccinated Santa Claus myself': Anthony Fauci assures kids of timely Christmas gifts

The US top infectious disease official, Anthony Fauci on December 19 asked children around the globe to not worry about the logistics of Christmas presents delivery amid COVID-19 pandemic. During a televised CNN and ‘Sesame Street’ coronavirus town hall for families, the 79-year-old answered kids questions on all sorts of topics concerning the holidays during a pandemic. Fauci assured them that Santa Claus can safely deliver gifts to everyone on Christmas as he went all the way to the North Pole to personally inoculate Old St Nick.

Fauci said, “I took care of that for you. Because I was worried that you’d all be upset. So what I did a little while ago, I took a trip up there to the North Pole. I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself. I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go. He can come down the chimney. He can leave the presents, he can leave, and you have nothing to worry about. Santa Claus is good to go”. 

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Further, when asked if it would still be possible to visit grandparents over Christmas, Fauci said that everyone still needs to be careful and wear a mask. He added that until the country gets this blanket of protection over everyone, one can’t be absolutely certain that there isn’t a virus there. He said, “So vaccines are extremely important to ending the outbreak”. 

In the fifth town hall of ‘Sesame Street’, the top health official also discussed how families could stay healthy during the holidays amid the deadly pandemic. When asked when kids would be able to get the vaccine, Fauci said that the vaccine developers will start trials on children in a month or two. He told the kids to “hang in there” and that when the time comes for them to get the vaccine, he will make sure that it doesn’t hurt, just feels like a pinch. 

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US’ vaccination programme 

Meanwhile, with authorities seeking to persuade Americans vaccines are safe, Vice President Mike Pence and other officials have had shots on live TV. Fauci’s good news for kids also comes after a second COVID vaccine was added in the fight against the deadly virus. Both vaccines are said to be about 95 per cent effective. 

The vaccination programmed in the United States aims to reach 100 million people by April. Millions of doses are set to arrive by Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health, as per AP reports. Once delivered, the vaccine will be provided to the citizens at no cost and the expenses for the private-sector administration partners will be covered by healthcare payers: private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, and an HHS program to cover COVID-19 costs for the uninsured, the US HHS informed. The Moderna vaccine is similar to Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that is now being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents.

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