Table 1.

Sample questions and tested response styles.

Question or comment, response type		Response
I’m not sure if the vaccine is safe, so I want to see how it affects others before I get vaccinated.
	Factual-only response	All vaccines go through clinical trials to test safety and effectiveness. For the COVID-19 vaccines, the FDAa set up rigorous standards for vaccine developers to meet and thousands of people worldwide participated in clinical trials before the vaccines became available to the public!
	Empathy-factual response	This is an important question for many people! Once a vaccine is authorized for use, monitoring continues with systems in place to track problems or side-effects that were not detected during clinical trials. You can feel safe knowing these systems have got your back!
	Principled response	It’s very natural to have concerns. Yet, if some people choose to wait, we will not beat this pandemic any time soon. If you are willing to get vaccinated, you can do so knowing that millions have been safely vaccinated and you are helping our path to normalcy.
I’m worried about vaccine side effects and adverse reactions.
	Rational argument	The likelihood of experiencing a severe side-effect is very small—less than 5 out of 1,000 people! You’ll probably just have some manageable side-effects that resolve in a few days.
I’m young and healthy, so why do I need to get vaccinated?
	Testimonial	A Harvard physician said, “while the vast majority of young adults who get COVID-19 are not going to require hospitalization, those who do have a really high risk for adverse outcomes.” A vaccine can prevent severe illness, even if you’re young and healthy.
Should I get the vaccine if I’ve had COVID-19?
	Humorous response	Spoiler: People who have COVID-19 should still get vaccinated, but only AFTER you get well!

^aFDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration.