Californians will be eligible for $116.5 million in prize money for getting coronavirus shots, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday, a windfall aimed at getting millions more vaccinated before the nation’s most populous state fully reopens next month.
For those who have already been vaccinated (or get vaccinated before June 4 and June 11), they will be eligible for a drawing that will award $50,000 to 15 individuals on both dates.
“California is not just coming back, it’s roaring back,” said Newsom during a press conference on Thursday. He emphasized that California has outpaced every other state in terms of vaccination rates and low coronavirus cases currently.
California isn’t the first state to offer vaccine prizes, though its pot of money is the largest, and so is the most valuable single prize: $1.5 million.
California has also made modifications to methods used in other states, such as automatically registering everyone who has been vaccinated (with a few exceptions such as incarcerated people and those who work in the Department of Health) and not publicly revealing the names of those awarded prizes. Immigration status would not be a factor in determining eligibility, said Newsom.
The state’s reopening is pegged for June 15, and on that day, a drawing will be held to award 10 vaccinated people the top prize of $1.5 million.
Distributed on a first-come-first-served basis, the next 2 million people who get vaccinated will also get $50 digital gift cards, that can be in the form of a Kroger or Albertsons card or a Mastercard distributed over text or email.
The state estimates about 12 million Californians 12 and older have not been vaccinated. About 63% of the 34 million eligible have gotten shots, though the pace has slowed markedly in recent weeks as infection rates have plummeted to record lows.
Ohio this week announced the first $1 million winner of its “Vax-a-Million” contest, as well as the first child to win a full college scholarship. Colorado and Oregon also offered $1 million prizes.
New York is raffling 50 full scholarships to children 12 to 17 to public universities and colleges in the state, selecting 10 winners each of the next five Wednesdays.
That California is turning to cash prizes to encourage vaccinations marks a major turnaround from earlier this year, when Californians clamored for shots, with some driving or waiting in line for hours to get one.
“Some Californians weren’t ready to get their COVID-19 vaccine on Day One, and that’s OK. This program is designed to encourage those who need extra support to get vaccinated and help keep California safe,” Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, director of the state’s department of public health, said in a statement.
Newsom’s office said the program would be aimed at reaching people in communities hardest hit by the pandemic—mainly the poor, Blacks and Latinos—though it wasn’t immediately clear how the money would be tailored to fit that goal.
Newsom specified that large-scale vaccine sites have not been as effective in targeting underserved communities, and more involved efforts such as language outreach, knocking on doors, and phone banking would be utilized. He also said efforts would be made in extending vaccine site hours and providing transportation.
California uses a “vaccine equity metric” to track vaccination progress that splits zip codes into four quartiles from least to most advantaged. Nearly half of people in the least advantaged neighborhoods still haven’t been vaccinated, according to the state.
By contrast, less than a quarter of people in the most advantaged areas haven’t been vaccinated.
Among all Latinos, 57% are not yet vaccinated. That’s the highest percentage of any racial or ethnic group. Forty% of white Californians are not vaccinated, according to state figures.
Newsom said that there were more incentive-related ideas for after June 15, but he did not provide more details.
Long Beach Post writer Tess Kazenoff contributed to this report.