If you get vaccinated in the US' West Virginia, you can win a gun among other prizes. The new incentives are part of the state's campaign to try and convince residents to get the Covid-19 vaccine.?
All residents who get a vaccine will be enrolled in the chance to win million-dollar lotteries, college scholarships, free beer, and amusement park tickets. The list bizarrely but not surprisingly also gives the newly-vaccinated the chance to win rifles and shotguns.
"We're going to do this program from June 20 until August 4. We're going to start with the giveaways on Father's Day," West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said during a news conference.?
The governor said that individuals must have had their first shot of the Covid-19 vaccine to be eligible for the drawing, CNN reported.?
"The faster we get people across the finish line the more lives we save. That's all there is to it. If the tab just keeps running the cost is enormous. The hospitalizations are enormous. We have to get all of our folks across the finish line," Justice said.?
West Virginia is joining?several other states and businesses?across the US that have set up incentive programs in a bid to encourage people to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.??
The state had in April, announced that?West Virginians ages 16 to 35 who got vaccinated could get a $100 savings bond. The immunization drive in the state?has since drastically slowed after showing a strong early start.
51.1% of the state population?has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, as per a report in NPR. Justice hopes the state's new offers of a $588,000-second prize, weekend vacations to state parks, lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, and custom hunting shotguns will boost that number.
The people who have been fully vaccinated in the state will need to register to be entered to win the newly announced prizes at a later date.
Also read:?Las Vegas Strip Club Becomes 'Pop-Up' Spot For COVID-19 Vaccination With Complimentary Services