Big Bird and his friends are back once more to host anotherSesame Streettown hall that will educate children and their families about the ongoingcoronavirus pandemicduring the holiday season.
“This winter and the next few months are gonna be challenging, but you know what? I’m pretty hopeful, with the vaccines on the way, that we are gonna get through this,” Dr. Gupta, 51, says in the clip.
“Yeah, there really is help on the way,” agrees Hill, before the “healthy, helpful hero” Super Grover jumps in with a, “I am here! Help is here!” — but he’s a little “wrapped up,” with aChristmasbow and ribbon covering his head.
“A vaccine is a little superhero boost to your body,” Super Grover replies after Hill, 44, tells him that sometimes our bodies “need a little extra help” in fighting off illnesses.
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Dr. Sanjay Gupta.cnn
Sesame Street’s specialThe ABCs of COVID-19.cnn
The trio then take a question from 7-year-old Dalas out of Bowie, Maryland, who asks how the COVID-19 vaccine is made and how itprotects people from contracting the virus.
After letting Super Grover know that making a vaccine isn’t as easy as using a hammer and nails, Dr. Gupta tells Dalas that scientists everywhere are working to put together a helpful medicine.
“Whenyou get a vaccine, it sends a message to your body,” he adds, holding up a sign reading, “WANTED: COVID-19” with an illustration of the virus. “It tells your body to look out, because there’s a new bad guy in town — and this time, the germ is wearing a crown. … So when your body sees this, it’s gonna be ready to fight those bad guys off.”
And when Super Grover says that “cute little carrier pigeons” will be delivering the vaccine, Dr. Gupta lets him know that the vaccine actually needs to be kept cold, like milk and eggs. “This is the way you keep them fresh. Some ofthese new coronavirus vaccines have tobe kept at temperatures colder than the South Pole!”
“Brrr — you will want to wear your ugly holiday sweater when handling those vaccines!” says Super Grover.
Erica Hill, Super Grover and Dr. Sanjay Gupta inSesame Street’s specialThe ABCs of COVID-19.CNN
RELATED VIDEO: Elmo Shares His Three Tips to Having Fun onSesame Street
As part of theCaring for Each Otherinitiative, the town hall comes eight months after one of the show’s most popular faces,Elmo, hosted a “virtual play date"that followed Elmo and hisSesame Streetpals as they found new ways to learn together online and discover fun things to do at home with their families amid the pandemic.
That same month, the iconicSesame Streetpuppets partnered with CNN toput on their firstABCs of COVID-19, aimed at parents and their children. Hill and Dr. Gupta also joined for that special.
Elmo also starred in a picture book released in September titledHeroes Wear Masks: Elmo’s Super Adventure, which guides readers through many new practices kids were going through as they headedback to school, like having to wash their hands more often,social distancingin the classroom, getting their temperatures taken at regular intervals and, yes, the importance of wearing a mask.
The ABCs of COVID-19airs Saturday at 10 a.m. ET on CNN, and can also be viewed (without requiring a login) onCNN.com’s homepage and mobile apps.
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source: people.com
