Cuomo announces $5m lottery for New Yorkers who get vaccinated next week

Programme only applies to unvaccinated residents receiving their first vaccine next week

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a $5m lottery for residents to encourage them to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

The new programme, entitled Vax & Scratch, will only apply to unvaccinated New Yorkers who receive either the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the first shot of Pfizer’s vaccine next week.

There are 10 vaccination sites participating in the new programme, and it involves residents 18 years and older receiving a scratch-off lottery ticket after they get their first vaccination at one of the available locations.

The grand prize is $5m, but participating residents can also win other monetary sums ranging from $20 to $50,000.

“The chances of winning something in this programme are one in nine,” Mr Cuomo said on Thursday when announcing the initiative.

Offering scratch-off lottery tickets to residents comes as state and health officials across the United States work to convince those who have yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine to do so.

New York ranks high compared to other states in the US for the percentage of its population fully vaccinated with a Covid-19 vaccine. To date, more than 8.4 million residents, or 43.44 per cent, were fully vaccinated against the novel virus – placing New York 10th among all states and localities.

Yet the state government was still working on innovative ways to attract unvaccinated residents to receive a vaccine.

It has already teamed up with the New York Yankees and New York Mets to offer vaccine shots right at the baseball stadiums. Participants who receive a vaccine at the stadium will then get a free ticket to a game.

Now, unvaccinated residents will have an opportunity to receive a scratch-off ticket next week if they get the vaccine.

New York is not the only state to introduce a vaccination lottery incentive for residents.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on 12 May the state’s $5m “Vax-a-Million” lottery that can be applied for residents aged 18 years and older.

Five vaccinated residents will receive a $1m prize for getting a Covid-19 vaccine, with the state announcing one winner per week starting on 26 May.

Already the programme has been shown to be beneficial in convincing residents to get vaccinated. In the one week after the promotion was announced, more than 113,000 residents received their first dose, the Ohio’s Health Department revealed on Wednesday.

This was a jump of 53 per cent from past week-to-week data.

Stores and restaurants across the US have also offered free food, drinks, and discounts for people who provide proof of vaccination.

In total, 159 million Americans, or 47.9 per cent, have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and 125 million Americans, or 37.8 per cent were fully vaccinated against the novel virus, according to data released by the CDC.