Seeing how smoothly the shot went for her grandmother, and hearing of others who had similar experiences in the weeks that followed, Serrano began to reconsider her position. A discussion with her doctor reassured her that the vaccine was safe. And a needle prick, she realized, was manageable if it meant saving lives. After several months of thinking about it, Serrano decided, “I want to do this — just do my part.” In interviews with NBC News, individuals who were initially reluctant to get their vaccinations said nudging from family members, fears about emerging variants and having the ability to shrug off rumors about the shot were among the reasons they finally decided to roll up their sleeves, months after the shot became available.