. 2022 Apr 11;36(6):934–947. doi: 10.1177/08901171221075612

Topic 2:

Vaccination.

Didactic Message	Narrative Message
Many people who oppose vaccines try to convince others that the vaccines themselves are more dangerous than the diseases they protect against. These groups are similarly trying to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19 in order to discourage individuals from getting a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available. But COVID-19 is much deadlier than the flu, and so far 200 000 people in the U.S. have died from the disease. People living in assisted living facilities and those with underlying health conditions are more likely to be infected and suffer complications from the disease. A vaccine is our best hope for preventing people from getting sick, and even dying, from COVID-19. Additionally, because vaccines are given to large numbers of generally healthy people, they have to meet even higher standards for safety and efficacy than products that are meant for people who are already sick. First, a vaccine is tested in animals to see if it works and if it’s safe. Next, a vaccine is tested for safety and efficacy in humans in three phases of clinical trials. If a vaccine produces good results in these trials, it is submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval where it further undergoes several layers of safety review. After approving a vaccine, the FDA oversees its production to ensure continuing safety	When my daughter was born, I was really hesitant to get her vaccinated. I had seen a lot of bad things about the dangers of vaccines online, and that’s why I wouldn’t get flu shots either. But this COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed my mind - I’ve now seen firsthand what this disease can do when there’s no vaccine available to control it. My mother lives in an assisted living facility, where several residents have tested positive for COVID-19. She suffers from chronic lung disease, which makes me very afraid about what will happen if she gets COVID-19. This isn’t just a flu – 200 000 people have already died from COVID-19. It’s a scary situation, because it feels like any day, anyone can get sick and there isn’t much we can do to stop it. I have been reading a lot about the pandemic - there has been a lot of news about how a vaccine could finally put a stop to this disease, and how scientists are working to develop one. I now understand how rigorous vaccine oversight is and how vaccines have to go through a lot of safety and efficacy tests to get FDA approval before they can be made available to the public. Now that I know how many systems are in place to ensure vaccines are safe, and that a vaccine is our best hope for stopping this horrible disease, when a vaccine is finally available, I am going to be the first in line to get one

Didactic Message

Narrative Message

Many people who oppose vaccines try to convince others that the vaccines themselves are more dangerous than the diseases they protect against. These groups are similarly trying to downplay the seriousness of COVID-19 in order to discourage individuals from getting a COVID-19 vaccine when one becomes available. But COVID-19 is much deadlier than the flu, and so far 200 000 people in the U.S. have died from the disease. People living in assisted living facilities and those with underlying health conditions are more likely to be infected and suffer complications from the disease. A vaccine is our best hope for preventing people from getting sick, and even dying, from COVID-19. Additionally, because vaccines are given to large numbers of generally healthy people, they have to meet even higher standards for safety and efficacy than products that are meant for people who are already sick. First, a vaccine is tested in animals to see if it works and if it’s safe. Next, a vaccine is tested for safety and efficacy in humans in three phases of clinical trials. If a vaccine produces good results in these trials, it is submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for approval where it further undergoes several layers of safety review. After approving a vaccine, the FDA oversees its production to ensure continuing safety

When my daughter was born, I was really hesitant to get her vaccinated. I had seen a lot of bad things about the dangers of vaccines online, and that’s why I wouldn’t get flu shots either. But this COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed my mind - I’ve now seen firsthand what this disease can do when there’s no vaccine available to control it. My mother lives in an assisted living facility, where several residents have tested positive for COVID-19. She suffers from chronic lung disease, which makes me very afraid about what will happen if she gets COVID-19. This isn’t just a flu – 200 000 people have already died from COVID-19. It’s a scary situation, because it feels like any day, anyone can get sick and there isn’t much we can do to stop it. I have been reading a lot about the pandemic - there has been a lot of news about how a vaccine could finally put a stop to this disease, and how scientists are working to develop one. I now understand how rigorous vaccine oversight is and how vaccines have to go through a lot of safety and efficacy tests to get FDA approval before they can be made available to the public. Now that I know how many systems are in place to ensure vaccines are safe, and that a vaccine is our best hope for stopping this horrible disease, when a vaccine is finally available, I am going to be the first in line to get one