Get a shot, win $1 million? Other states are doing ‘vaccine lotteries.’ Idaho should, too
In West Virginia, you could win a gun, a custom-outfitted truck, a weekend getaway or even $1.5 million — if you get the COVID-19 vaccine.
In Ohio, five people will win $1 million each in that state’s incentive lottery program encouraging residents to get vaccinated.
In New York, 50 fully inoculated students chosen in a random drawing will get four years of tuition, room and board at a state school, which currently runs about $24,000 a year, according to the Democrat and Chronicle in Rochester.
Our neighbor to the west, Washington, announced Thursday that it, too, is joining the vaccine lottery craze, with its own “Shot of a Lifetime.” Gov. Jay Inslee announced a series of giveaways during the month of June that include lottery drawings totaling $2 million, college tuition assistance, airline tickets and game systems.
California, New Mexico and Oregon also have instituted incentive programs. New Mexico is giving away $5 million.
So how about Idaho?
Winning $1 million, of course, could be the main prize, but giving out guns would be a big draw for a lot of Idahoans. A custom-outfitted truck would be, too. Just any truck would be a good prize.
Idaho is among the worst states in the country for vaccination rates per capita. The CDC shows about 69,575 vaccine doses administered in Idaho per 100,000 residents, sixth-worst in the U.S. Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Wyoming and Arkansas are keeping Idaho out of the bottom five.
Idaho’s vaccination rate has been lagging national rates all along. In all, 39.8% of Idahoans 12 and older have been fully vaccinated, compared with 48.6% nationwide, according to Idaho Health and Welfare data.
About 71.3% of Idahoans 65 and older have completed their vaccinations. Nearly 75% of people in the same age category nationwide are fully vaccinated.
A lottery could go a long way to nudging those who are hesitant, on the fence or just haven’t found the time to do it yet.
Jonathan Carlyle, a van driver for Amazon, won $1 million in Ohio’s lottery. He told ABC News that he had wanted to get the vaccine but just had not found the time.
Two days after Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, announced the lottery last month, Carlyle went out and got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, he told ABC News.
“As soon as I heard that, I was like, ‘Yes, I need to go do this now,’” he said.
In all, five Ohioans will win $1 million each.
You might think $5 million is a lot of money just to get people to get vaccinated and serve the greater good, but Idaho already had $3 million budgeted for ads to persuade people to get a shot. Ads have been airing on TV, cable, satellite, radio and digital in Boise, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls and Spokane, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Idaho is using federal coronavirus relief money for the ads and could use coronavirus relief funds for the lottery, too, as some other states are doing.
Something that wouldn’t cost any cash outright is free college tuition.
Ohio is also doing a full-ride scholarship lottery for five winners, similar to New York, and so far, nearly 133,000 Ohioans ages 12 to 17 entered the scholarship drawing, according to ABC News.
This could kill two birds with one stone for Idaho: We could get more teens vaccinated and we could get our “go on” rate closer to that elusive goal of 60% of Idaho high school graduates going on to secondary education.
In total, only 256 kids ages 12-15 in Idaho have gotten vaccinated, or 0.2%. Only 17% of Idahoans ages 16-17 have gotten fully vaccinated.
States like New Mexico, Washington and Ohio appear to be running their lotteries through their respective lottery offices.
Gov. Brad Little’s press secretary Marissa Morrison wrote in an email Friday that the state is not actively pursuing a lottery for vaccinated Idahoans at this time.
“However, the Governor’s Office is open to exploring new options that result in more Idahoans choosing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” she wrote, “and Governor Little still encourages all eligible Idahoans to choose to receive the vaccine because it is safe, effective and will help put an end to the pandemic.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
