2020 – Present
On this page, you'll find a supply of COVID-19 content that local health improvement coalitions (LHICs), health departments, and community organizations can use to reach community members with information about COVID-19 vaccines. We also link to health information the Center produced earlier in the pandemic.
Communication Resources and Materials
The Center's COVID-19 communication content is primarily from two of our funded projects: the COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Project and Lifting All Voices to Improve Health Literacy. Below, you'll find information on the communication resources and materials from each project.
COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Project
This content was developed to help Maryland local health improvement coalitions (LHICs) and a national network of LGBTQ-serving organizations communicate with their community members about COVID-19 vaccines. You can review and adapt the content to reach your population of interest.
The folder for this project contains
- Graphics for social media and flyers
- Animated videos
- Audio clips
- Toolkits and guidelines
- LGBTQ centers content
- Published hot topics newsletters
- Content archive
Sample Materials
Get vaccinated to protect yourself from serious health issues and long-term health problems
This graphic can be posted with the caption: "Even young and healthy people have gotten very sick from #COVID19 — and the virus can cause long-term health problems. The bottom line: getting vaccinated is safer than getting COVID. Learn more: [link of poster's choosing]." The graphic and caption are also available in Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Vietnamese, and Haitian Creole.
If you have certain health conditions, it’s especially important to get vaccinated
This graphic can be posted with the caption: "If you have a chronic health condition, you’re pregnant, or you’re age 65+, you may be more likely to get very sick from #COVID19. You can take control by staying up to date on COVID vaccines. Learn more: [link of poster's choosing]." The graphic and caption are also available in Spanish.
Boosters are important
This customizable graphic and its second page (not shown) can help explain why boosters are important.
Quote from Karla Morales, a Community Health Worker in Frederick
You can find a sample caption in English and in Spanish, and quotes from other community health workers from the Asian American Center of Frederick (AACF) in the content folder
How to Use the Content
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Go to the COVID-19 Vaccine Communications Resources folder
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Open the subfolder called "1. Start Here Dissemination plan"
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Read the documents "A. Start Here" and "Dissemination Plan_LHICs and HDs" for an overview of the content and best practices for using it
- Navigate through the remaining subfolders to find, review, and update relevant materials
Important Notes and Disclaimers
All of the content for this project was created between May 2021 to May 2022. Particularly for the social media content, you should review the material for accuracy and update it accordingly before posting or distributing it.
You can customize some of the social media content in PowerPoint using the instructions in the dissemination plan. Other materials in the folder are customizable templates in the free photo editing and graphic design website Canva. You can find instructions on editing the Canva templates in the Customizable Community Messaging Campaigns document.
Funding Statement
Research and materials reported in this summary were supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under award number 6 U48DP006382-02-02. Total CDC funds were $500,000. The content is solely the responsibility of the Horowitz Center team and does not necessarily represent the official views of CDC.
Lifting All Voices to Improve Health Literacy
This project's content was developed as part of a collaboration to improve access to culturally and linguistically appropriate COVID-19 information in plain language to residents of Frederick, Maryland. The cultural and language groups served include Spanish, French, Burmese, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Russian, Gujarati, Korean, and Urdu.
The folder for this project contains
- Social media posts and graphics
- Print materials (flyers)
- Quote cards (local community leaders pictured with a quote encouraging COVID-19 vaccination)
Sample Content
The logos on the graphics are cut off so the graphics will display properly on this page. The downloadable versions in the content folder will not have have anything cut off..
Safety for children
The Mandarin text on the graphic translates to "COVID-19 vaccines … are safe and effective for children ages 6 months through 17 years." Similar versions of the graphic are available in at least one other language. Check out the content folder for more social media graphics and suggested captions.
Safety for Pregnant People
The Spanish text on the graphic translates to "The Frederick County Health Department … recommends COVID-19 vaccination for people who are pregnant and/or breastfeeding." Similar versions of the graphic are available in at least one other language. Check out the content folder for more social media graphics and suggested captions.
Side effects
The Burmese text on the graphic translates to "Side effects are … a normal sign your body is building protection." Similar versions of the graphic are available in at least one other language. Check out the content folder for more social media graphics and suggested captions.
How to Use the Content
- Go to the Lifting All Voices materials for public use folder
- Open any of the three subfolders for the different content types
- Open the document labeled "START HERE" for a library of the content in the subfolder and guidance on how to post it (for social media and quote cards content)
Important Notes and Disclaimers
This content was developed in response to common concerns about COVID-19 vaccines within different language communities in Frederick, so not every post is available in every language. Also, some of the materials do make specific references to Frederick, but the messages are broad enough that you may find the helpful regardless of where your focus population is located.
Please note that
- Social media content is available in Burmese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Spanish, with English counterparts to every graphic
- Flyers are available in Burmese, Chinese, English, French, Gujarati, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, and Vietnamese
- Quote cards are available in Burmese and Spanish
Video content will be added soon to this folder.
Funding statement
The Lifting All Voices project is for the Advancing Health Literacy to Enhance Equitable Community Responses to COVID-19 grant to the UMD Horowitz Center for Health Literacy. The project was supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health under award number 1 CPIMP211296-01-00. OMH provided 100% of the $1,874,571 total project costs. The content is solely the responsibility of the Horowitz Center and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Office of Minority Health.
Older COVID-19 Health Information
COVID-19 Vaccine Hot Topics
August 2021 to May 2022
The research team for the COVID-19 vaccine communication project regularly posts a newsletter with trending topics about the COVID-19 vaccines. These “Hot Topics” inform community leaders about the latest vaccine news and guide conversations about the shots with their communities.
Deciding on Activities in the Time of COVID-19
View the full Deciding on Activities in the Time of COVID-19 playlist on YouTube. Young adults' lives changed dramatically with COVID-19, especially as their typical social activities come with higher risk. The Horowitz Center for Health Literacy produced a series of short animations encouraging young adults, especially college students, to consider six specific factors before participating in activities like attending parties, dining outdoors, and hanging out at a friend's house. While the animations depict six activities, young adults can use the six factors to make decisions about any activity.