COVID-19 Vaccines: Meeting People Where They Are, May 2021

Today, nearly 290M doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been administered. Uptake over the past two months has been propelled by early enthusiasm, increased vaccine supply, and expanded eligibility. There is a significant amount of momentum to celebrate and the latest research provides us with clear insights into vaccination opportunities and challenges ahead for the United States.

For the next several months, public health officials, providers, and advocates will be working towards the Biden Administration’s goal of getting 70% of adults either fully or partially vaccinated. This will require the continuation of robust COVID-19 vaccination public education efforts that meet people where they are, focus on the basic facts that address common questions and concerns, and engage the most trusted messengers — usually people’s personal physicians.

Our latest Meeting People Where They Are memo was created by assembling studies and polling results conducted over the past three months, interviewing researchers, and interpreting their findings. The analysis and resulting messaging recommendations in this document can form the baseline for how we, as health and vaccine advocates, engage in the effort to address people’s concerns and help the country reach maximum vaccination levels.