Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine seeks to incentivize coronavirus vaccines with chance to win $1 million
As demand for the coronavirus vaccine plateaus, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is giving state residents a shot to win $1 million.
The Republican governor announced Wednesday night that vaccinated adults will be eligible to enter a lottery that will pay out $1 million each to five winners beginning May 26. Separately, DeWine is offering five vaccinated teenagers full-ride scholarships to the state’s public universities, which includes all four years of tuition, room, board and textbooks.
“I know that some may say, ‘DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money.’ But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a life lost to covid-19,” DeWine said in a statewide address.
This move by Ohio mirrors what other states have done to spur skeptical or complacent residents to get vaccinated, but with a bigger enticement. Other states and cities have offered free beer. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, wanted to give every vaccinated resident between the ages of 16 and 35 a $100 savings bond.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/12/ohio-gov-mike-dewine-seeks-incentivize-covid-vaccines-with-chance-win-1-million/
Shame it takes an incentive to do what's right.