ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Health officials are urging teenagers and young adults to get the COVID-19 vaccine, as vaccine hesitation in the youngest eligible age group is high.

Behavioral experts say the messaging needed to encourage young people to roll up their sleeves may require some back and forth communication.

High school senior Gigi Palladino viewed getting her COVID-19 shot as something she didn’t want to miss.

“Anything it takes to get back to normal and not have to wear masks again, and go out in public, I’ll do it,” she said.

Some of her fellow high school friends, though, are hesitant.

“They want to see more data on it, and more work being done," Palladino said. "They don’t want to be the first people to get it.”

Those concerns are a familiar cry to Orange County health experts and local leaders, who are focusing their attention on getting more vaccine turnout from the youngest eligible age group.

Human behavior specialist Rufus Barfield said it will take more than just convincing.

“If you try to just strong-arm or twist their arm into making them get the vaccine, you’re gonna be fighting a very hard battle,” he said.

Instead, he said the answer is making the message go both ways.

And for the most hesitant people, it’s about actively listening, Barfield said.

“If we can find and listen for those small openings, to appeal to compassion, founded on facts and truthful, straightforward information, then I think we can make some headway,” he said.

At the end of the day, he says, it’s about putting the ball in their court.

“Helping them see that the decision to get vaccinated was theirs, and they were able or given the freedom to make the decision," he said.

So far in the state of Florida, just over 500,000 people age 16-24 have received the COVID-19 vaccine.