Appealing to Generation Z to get the COVID-19 vaccine is one focus of health officials as statistics nationwide show this age group lagging behind others in vaccination rates.

According to state Department of Health statistics, only 54.5% of Hawaii residents ages 18 to 29 have been fully vaccinated, while 64% have received at least one dose. Among adults this group has the lowest vaccination rate in the state.

At the same time, the age group makes up about a quarter of those now getting COVID-19, higher than any other age group.

This lag has been consistent with trends nationally, and President Joe Biden brought pop star and internet sensation Olivia Rodrigo, 18, to the White House in July to encourage this younger demographic to get their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Many individuals in this age group are in a wait-and-see mode, according to Jessica Gasiorek, associate professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Department of Communicology.

For months, Hawaii leaders have urged and pleaded with residents to get vaccinated if they are eligible, as has the state Department of Health, with various public- service announcements featuring local physicians.

In early June the state launched a vaccination incentives campaign with the hopes it would prompt some of these younger people into action.

Gasiorek said based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s biweekly Pulse Survey, those ages 18 to 24 are still waiting to see whether the COVID-19 vaccines work as well as whether they are safe.

And government and health officials are not necessarily the people that Generation Z, which includes those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s, nor younger millennials, are influenced by.

“Your average 18-to-25-year-old may not be tracking what Dr. (Anthony) Fauci has to say,” she said. “They may be more connected to what peers are saying, what social media is saying and what influential people in their smaller circle are saying.”

Trusted influencers

“So when we think where are people getting their ideas, it’s fairly easy for misinformation on social media or from anecdotal things,” Gasiorek said. “So and so did this, heard somewhere that someone got vaccinated and still got sick.”

What’s most effective, she said, is to to offer trusted sources for this particular age group — whether it be an influencer, which can be someone admired as well as trusted. The trust is really key, said Gasiorek.

That could be a local celebrity, community member, sports coach, close friend or family member.

“It’s about getting people that they trust and they believe to be delivering that message,” she said. “Two people can say exactly the same thing, but if you trust one person, you’re going to respond to that.”

How about Las Vegas Raiders quarterback and Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota?

Honolulu-based nonprofit Papa Ola Lokahi recruited Mariota, a Saint Louis School grad, to record a 30-second public-service announcement aimed at reaching the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander community.

“The Samoan community has been hit hard by the COVID pandemic,” says Mariota. “Pacific Islanders, Hawaiians and Filipinos have carried the greatest burden of COVID-19. Please get vaccinated so we can get our community back to normal. You want your kids back in school, you want to watch them play football? Please, get vaccinated.”

Papa Ola Lokahi spokeswoman Kim Birnie said the nonprofit believes Mariota is a good role model and influencer for the community, and was grateful he was willing to record the PSA.

Not top priority

Sydney Millerd, 22, a recent graduate from UH West Oahu, believes many from her generation are just super busy, whether it’s juggling school with work and family, and, because they are young and healthy, do not feel that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is urgent.

“It’s just not top priority,” she said.

Millerd is a Next Gen Hawaii ambassador, part of a project by UH Manoa’s Office of Public Health Studies, which is collaborating with Papa Ola Lokahi to share important health messages with younger generations.

Through Instagram and TikTok, the ambassadors have been encouraging people to get vaccinated and sharing information about side effects. The most recent initiative included a “Shaka for Shot” selfie contest with a random drawing for $50 gift cards and other prizes.

Millerd said her generation is on Instagram and TikTok mostly, but not so much Facebook or Twitter. She thinks social media will more effectively reach people her age. She checks her own social media every hour.

She thinks reminders about the vaccines, along with awareness about healthy living overall and humor, work better at persuading people to get vaccinated than lectures. Also, she happens to like Fauci and thinks he is an inspiration.

Growing hospitalizations

The perception has been that older people get seriously ill, while those who are younger suffer only coldlike symptoms and get over it quickly.

But more people in their 20s and 30s are landing in hospitals with the highly transmissible delta variant, according to Lt. Gov. Josh Green, including a 23-year-old and 32-year-old who landed in intensive care.

Green noted Aug. 10 that 50% of COVID-19 patients in Hawaii hospitals were under age 50.

Recent Health Department statistics show 9% of those hospitalized are ages 18 to 29, while 12% are in their 30s and 14% in their 40s. Another 2% are 17 and younger.

To date, DOH statistics show 235 individuals ages 18 to 29 have been hospitalized, and six have died.

The University of Hawaii announced it would not enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for students attending classes in person this fall, but will require those who are unvaccinated to get tested weekly, which could boost numbers among the age group.

DOH has been trying to reach younger demographics through its PSAs and social media posts, according to spokesman Brooks Baehr.

The Health Department has also worked with UH Manoa to produce a video that takes a comprehensive look at COVID-19 vaccination facts.

High school students interview Hawaii experts, including acting state Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble and Green, on the vaccines, with a detailed set of questions that delve into the science of mRNA vaccines.

The 23-minute video has been available since mid-June on YouTube and has been viewed about 800 times. Some PSAs by the Health Department also feature UH volleyball players with their auntie fans, and young doctors addressing questions from college students.

Approximately 61% of visitors to higotvaccinated.com, the website for the state’s vaccination incentives campaign launched in early June, are ages 18 to 34, according to Baehr. More recently, local comedian Tumua Tuinei starred in a PSA highlighting the DOH’s TeenLink Hawaii program, which includes information about COVID-19 vaccines.