Question: Are there any magic words that we can say to family members who refuse to get vaxxed? 

Answer: We’ve talked a lot about communicating with the vaccine hesitant in previous posts (most recently, Q&A of 7/29, which has links/advice relevant to today’s question).  Alas, there are no magic words… but there are some that work better than others!  As a reminder, data+empathy are key.  To elaborate, but this time from the perspective of psychologists, a couple of reports published in Psychology Today share some helpful advice, which I’ll quickly synthesize:

• 3 Ways to Change the Mind of Your Vaccine-Hesitant Loved One: 1) Use politics to your advantage to highlight that the virus doesn’t care about political affiliation; 2) Use data to address perceptions of risk; 3) Appeal to the heart to talk non-judgmentally and try to discern what emotional issues are involved and speak to those emotional issues.
• The 7 Best Tactics to Persuade the Vaccine-Hesitant: 1) Use analogies to explain the vaccine; 2) Help make the decision feel less forced (e.g. you can choose which vaccine); 3) Find a common enemy (like the virus, like a competition); 4) Combat anecdotal evidence with your own (share your story); 5) Increase awareness of others who are vaccinated; 6) Remind them of regrets; 7) Create fear of missing out (FOMO). [note these recommendations stem from an article published in New England Journal of Medicine, Beyond Politics — Promoting Covid-19 Vaccination in the United States.]