California Announces $ 116 Million Incentives For COVID-19 Vaccination

California health officials are offering incentives worth a total of $ 116 million to residents of the state to get vaccinated, according to an announcement Thursday.

Californians already vaccinated against COVID-19 are already entered to win prizes, and newly vaccinated residents will become eligible for the draws. The prizes include ten chances to win $ 1.5 million lottery prize in cash.

The money will be placed in a savings account if the winner is under 18 years old.

Additionally, every Californian aged 12 and over who has received a COVID-19 vaccine is eligible for additional raffles, which will be awarded by the state in increments of $ 50,000 every Friday.

A press release from the governor’s office said the next two million Californians who will receive their first and second dose, if any, of a COVID-19 vaccine starting Thursday will also be eligible to receive a “prepaid card or grocery store ”of $ 50, a program valued at $ 100 million in total.

“Some Californians weren’t ready to receive their COVID-19 vaccine on day one, and that’s okay. This program is designed to encourage those who need the extra support to get vaccinated and keep California safe, ”said Tomás J. Aragón, senior health official in the state.

“The state will work closely with our partners in local health services and community organizations to ensure that the program reaches families living in communities with the lowest immunization rates, who may face language barriers and other obstacles, ”he added.

Just over 40% of the total population of California had received both doses of Pfizer or Moderna or one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Thursday afternoon. The state has nearly 40 million people.

“California has already made incredible strides in the fight against COVID-19, with the lowest case rates in the country, while administering millions more vaccines than any other state. But we’re not stopping there, we’re doing whatever it takes to get Californians vaccinated as June 15 approaches to help us reopen completely and safely, “Gov. Gavin NewsomGavin NewsomOvernight Health Care: House Democrats Press Biden to Expand Medicare | Intel community: Competing theories on the origin of COVID-19 are not “more likely than the others” | WHO: Africa “ urgently needs ” 20 million second doses of vaccine Caitlyn Jenner vows to “ cancel cancellation culture ” if elected governor of California California announces 6 million COVID-19 PLUS vaccination incentives (D) said Thursday.

Several states and localities have launched efforts to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 in recent weeks, amid public health experts fear vaccine hesitancy is a major obstacle to U.S. herd immunity against the virus.

Ohio began offering cash lottery prizes for vaccines earlier this month, and several other states have followed suit, including New York, Maryland, Oregon and Colorado. West Virginia is offering young adults aged 16 to 35 savings bonds in a bid to boost local immunization rates, while Connecticut officials implemented a measure that paid for a free drink for each resident of the vaccinated state during the month of May.