Ohio governor Mike DeWine has announced a lottery to begin on May 26 and continue for five weeks. All adult Ohio residents who have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine are eligible to receive $1,000,000 in a weekly drawing.
I hope this helps to overcome vaccine hesitancy. Let’s see who really wouldn’t take the vaccine for $1m.
It seems like a good idea and I wonder if other states will try the same approach.
This will be an interesting psychological experiment. Some anti-vaxxers will assuredly point to this as even more reason to avoid it–“they have to pay people to get it!”. If it gets vaccination rates above herd immunity then I’m probably for it but it sure seems like a waste of taxpayer money.
5 million is basically pocket change from the perspective of the government budget. Covid has already cost our economy trillions of dollars. If it helps boost vaccination rates to any significant degree, and hastens us to the end of the pandemic, it may be a worthwhile investment.
It’s also stimulus. If an Ohioan gets a million dollars, they are probably going to spend most of it in Ohio.
How many pig farms does one man need?
I read a tweet that said: Vaccine lotteries are a good idea because the unvaxxed are bad at calculating probabilities by definition.
I lol’d.
This is a great idea and I hope other states copy it.
If I won a million dollars I’m not spending a cent of it. Maybe in 30-40 years, I may still be in Ohio but maybe not.
Good joke, but OH is a business and tech center (also, geographically) and I don’t even know if I’ve met a farmer. I knew many more farmers on the East Coast.
And for minors, the lottery will include a free ride to any of the state schools in Ohio.
You’re absolutely right and I’m bad at getting my point across. It’s a waste because Ohio wouldn’t have to do it if the damn knuckleheads would just get vaccinated.
Most people who worry the vaccines may represent a health risk are already bad at math and statistics by definition, so offering a counter-incentive in the form of a lottery-based payout is right in line with their mindset.
Most people don’t have your self control.