Why is Garibaldo of Sesame Street at the center of the anti-vaccine controversy in the United States? | Globalism

“I got a Covid-19 vaccine today! My wing is a little sore, but it will leave my body more protected to leave me, and others healthy,” the character wrote.

What seemed like an innocent awareness campaign ended up taking another turn. Texas Governor Ted Cruz criticized what he called “government propaganda for children”.

The Republican received support from other conservative figures and people in the United States against vaccination – which appears to be stagnant in the country with 58.4% of its population protected.

In Texas, more than 4.2 million people have been diagnosed with the disease and at least 72,000 people have died from complications from Covid-19, according to a survey by Johns Hopkins University.

Arizona senator Wendy Rogers wrote on her social network that Garibaldo was a communist in support of vaccination.

The Republican senator wrote: “Garibaldo is a communist.”

Arizona has accumulated more than 1.1 million infections and the death toll has exceeded 21,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Sesame Street producers have used their TV characters to teach American children and families the dangers of Covid-19 and how to protect themselves.

Conservative political commentator Liz Wheeler also responded to the fictional character that she would not take her daughter for the coronavirus vaccine.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been approved in the United States for Children aged 5 years and over are vaccinated Following the recommendation of the US Health Agency.

Garibaldo, who is six years old in the novels, has managed to get the vaccine, while Elmo, the famous red doll, still has to wait because he is three years old.

The use of children’s characters and pop culture to encourage vaccinations is neither rare nor limited to Covid-19 vaccines.

In 1972, in the United States, Garibaldo himself was the hero of the federal campaign, during the administration of Republican President Richard Nixon, to encourage student vaccination.

As early as 1970, R2D2 and C-3PO released an ad asking “Earth Fathers” if they had already vaccinated their children.

But the yellow bird received a lot of support for his decision to vaccinate. Even Oscar, the villain from Sesame Street, said the vaccine “won’t let you down”, perhaps “just with a ache in his arm”.

Even US President Joe Biden praised Garibaldo and said that when he is vaccinated, he makes the entire village safe.

Immunization in the United States is free and available to all citizens age 5 and older. The US government is trying to find ways to encourage vaccination.

The White House announced this Thursday (4) that It will require companies with more than 100 employees To ensure the immunization of its employees in the United States.

According to President Biden’s government, employees who have not been vaccinated will have to get tested at least once a week and also wear a mask in the workplace.