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Santa’s ‘innate immunity’ to COVID-19 means Christmas flight remains on schedule, Fauci says

The perks of being Santa Claus do not end with flying reindeer and endless cookie supplies.

Apparently, they also include natural immunity to the novel coronavirus, meaning the Jolly Old Elf is medically cleared for his annual Dec. 24 global delivery schedule without fear of spreading COVID-19, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert told USA Today recently.

“Santa is exempt from this because Santa, of all the good qualities, has a lot of good innate immunity,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the outlet.

“Santa is not going to be spreading any infections to anybody,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Fauci also said anyone legitimately concerned about Santa’s personal safety during the pandemic due to his quite advanced age and gelatinous belly laughs caused by the aforementioned cookies can relax. A side effect of Santa’s also natural holiday magic includes additional protection from the coronavirus, KABC reported.

In turn, both the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Google have activated their Santa trackers for the 2020 season, so his safe travels can be monitored by millions of children across the globe, as long as they are in bed before he passes over their neighborhoods, of course.

Dr. Gina Song, a pediatrician at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, Illinois, told USA Today that even though Santa might be less visible – with fewer in-person appearances and more video than lap conferences – in 2020, the precautions are meant to ensure everyone is healthy come Christmas morning.

“Santa does not want the kids to line up waiting to see him because he doesn’t want to spread germs. Santa gets sad if the kids or their families are sick,” Song told the outlet.

“So this year, Santa will be watching you from afar, giving you the gift of good health and will only visit when no one is around on Christmas Eve,” she added.

Dr. Peter Holtz told USA Today he is hopeful Santa will still consider getting a COVID-19 vaccine once one becomes available, despite his natural immunity, because the additional precaution will not only set a good example but also potentially counteract hazardous working conditions.

“I hear the ventilation in Santa’s workshop is not the best, and opening windows in North Pole winters problematic. The good news is that mask compliance there is pretty good, and the elves are committed to social distancing,” Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, told the outlet.

“Mrs. Claus has implemented a program of regular testing, and the reindeers now lead contact tracing,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr. Greg Poland, director of the Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, shared an update with USA Today following a recent teleconference with the North Pole.

According to Poland, the elves have properly spaced their work stations, and toy production remains on schedule, while everyone involved avoids crowds and remembers the true meaning of Christmas.

“Let’s do the same thing that Santa and the elves are doing. We stay home if we’re not feeling well. When we go outside of the home, we wear a mask and wash our hands,” he told the outlet, adding, “Christmas is really about what’s in our hearts, and a pandemic can’t take that away from us.”