Vaccine promos: Massachusetts researching a vax lottery, handing out Market Basket gift cards
Massachusetts is joining a growing list of states offering incentives to vaccine holdouts and will offer people a $25 Market Basket gift card, as state officials mull over whether they’ll add a vax lottery like other states.
The Treasurer’s Office is looking into other states’ vaccine lottery programs, including Ohio’s $1 million vax promo. The state Treasurer’s Office — which oversees the Bay State Lottery — is researching the effectiveness of the lottery programs elsewhere.
“Our office has begun to do initial research on what a vaccine lottery would entail, but ultimately any program and specifics would be set forth by the Governor’s office,” a Treasurer’s Office spokeswoman said in a statement Wednesday.
The need for a vax lottery in Massachusetts is significantly less than in Ohio, where there’s considerably more vax hesitancy.
Massachusetts “leads the nation in vaccinating residents, with over 3.6 million residents fully vaccinated and over 4.3 million with at least a first dose,” a state COVID-19 Response Command Center spokeswoman said Wednesday.
“The Administration’s goal remains getting every person that wants a vaccine a shot and has increased targeted, locally based clinics, expanded the home-bound program and launched employer and school vaccination programs to reach the remaining populations where they are,” the spokeswoman added.
Meanwhile, the Bay State on Wednesday announced $25 Market Basket gift cards to people who get vaccinated at mobile clinics set up at the stores beginning Thursday. The mobile clinics will be at Market Baskets in five hard-hit communities.
“We know these are convenient community locations,” Gov. Charlie Baker said during a Wednesday press conference in Chelsea. “They’re very heavily traveled, as anybody who’s ever been to one knows. We encourage all residents to come down and get their vaccine while they’re doing their shopping.”
The vaccine clinics will be open with no appointments necessary at stores in Chelsea, Fall River, Lawrence, Lynn and Revere this Thursday, Friday and Saturday and again from June 10 to 12, Baker said.
The state over Memorial Day weekend lifted all business capacity restrictions, but Baker said despite “great progress in vaccinating our residents, we know there’s still a lot more work to do.”
Other states have been upping their vaccine promos compared to Massachusetts.
West Virginia, for example, this week announced a weekly giveaway program for those who received at least their first shot. On Father’s Day, the state will be giving away five hunting rifles and five hunting shotguns.
“And also on Father’s Day, we’re going to make one of you a millionaire,” Gov. Jim Justice said this week during an address. “We’re going to give away a million dollars to somebody.”
West Virginia will also be giving away college scholarships, trucks and more.
New Jersey last month launched a “Shot and a Beer” program to encourage residents 21-plus to get vaccinated. Residents were able to take their vax card to more than a dozen breweries to get a free beer.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3vNARMD
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