Vax for children is best way out

In 1972, Sesame Street aired an episode that showed Big Bird excitedly lining up for his measles vaccine.

"I don't want to get the measles," Big Bird says as he takes his place behind a group of kids and adults.

It wasn't controversial then. Kids and adults alike didn't want to get the measles. And kids and adults alike got the measles vaccine.

But come 2021, when Big Bird announced via Twitter that he got his COVID-19 shot — after a CNN special showed his grandmother getting answers to her questions before agreeing to it — it somehow became absurdly controversial, as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted in response, "Government propaganda … for your 5 year old!"

The vaccine isn't government propaganda. And encouraging children to get vaccinated by showing that even a beloved Sesame Street resident had done so isn't government propaganda, either.

It's simple: When combined with the expected expansion of booster shots for adults, getting kids vaccinated is the best way out of the COVID pandemic.

Imagine what would happen if millions of children follow Big Bird's lead. Children would once again be able to play with friends without having to wear a mask. They could visit grandparents and other relatives. And as classrooms fill with vaccinated students and teachers, they'd likely be able to take off masks there, too.

Imagine the dream of a truly normal school year — and the notion of not worrying about children getting sick or bringing home a deadly disease to more vulnerable family members — becoming reality.

That very real possibility is bolstered by the initial surge of parents who took steps to protect their kids as soon as the opportunity arose. The White House estimates that at least 2.6 million children ages 5 to 11 were vaccinated in the first two weeks they were eligible.

That's a good sign. But with about 28 million children in that age group nationwide, there's still a ways to go. And it's likely the strong initial pace will, at some point, level off.

It's up to parents, kids and pediatricians to keep it going. The state's efforts to open mass-vaccination sites for children, and to offer incentives, are helpful, and the faster more vaccine doses get into pediatricians' offices, the better. But even then, far too many families remain hesitant. The vaccine, at a dose that's a third of the one adults receive, is safe and effective. So far, kids seem to be reporting only mild side effects. And the upside is enormous.

So, perhaps it's time for parents to heed some of the lessons they teach their children. The importance of reading. Listening. Trusting teachers and doctors. And looking for the helpers, as another TV personality, Fred Rogers, used to say.

It's time for parents to do their homework. To raise their hands and ask their questions. And then to protect their children.