Dr. Fauci tells kids he vaccinated Santa Claus against COVID-19
Fauci assures concerned kids that Santa is vaccinated against COVID during CNN's Sesame Street Town Hall.
Santa is making sure he's germ-free before he visits your home this holiday season.
If you (or the kids in your life) have serious concerns that Santa Claus will be visiting your home, and might bring coronavirus with him along with your presents, then know that Dr. Anthony Fauci has your back.
Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will be part of President-elect Joe Biden's coronavirus response team, a role he's held in the Donald Trump administration. Fauci will also be a chief medical adviser in Biden's administration.
During CNN's Sesame Street Town Hall on Saturday, Fauci told parents and kids that he vaccinated Santa Claus against COVID-19 so he'll still be able to visit homes to deliver gifts as usual.
Fauci said he personally traveled to the North Pole himself and vaccinated Santa Claus.
Santa Claus will be coming to town this year, Dr. Anthony Fauci says.
— CNN (@CNN) December 19, 2020
“I took care of that for you,” he says. “…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.” #CNNSesameStreet pic.twitter.com/CNJ520XTew
"I measured his level of immunity, and he is good to go," Fauci said in the video. "He can come down the chimney, he can leave the presents, he can leave and you have nothing to worry about."
Though if you're really playing it safe, kids can always Zoom with Santa instead.
Kids also asked Fauci when they can hug their family members again, especially their grandparents. A 4-year-old named Freddie says he wants to give his grandma 100 hugs but wasn't sure if that was safe.
"I think if you're in the immediate household ... and it's not someone who's maybe coming in and traveling ... yeah you can give them hugs," Fauci told him. But he also cautioned that if that person has traveled through airports and train stations and is coming into your house, perhaps hugs aren't the best way to show affection.
Fauci also answered kids' questions on whether getting the vaccine hurts. He assured them that the shot feels like a "pinch" that only lasts a few seconds.
In the US, more than 320,000 people have died from COVID-19 and more than 18 million cases have been confirmed, according to the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard.