As a way to encourage people to get their COVID-19 jab as soon as possible, the state of West Virginia has decided to hand out cash prizes, hunting licenses and even guns to those who receive at least one dose of the vaccine.
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Prizes of all kinds
Every person who gets vaccinated will have their name entered into a draw that could see them be the recipient of an array of prizes. For starters, five custom hunting rifles and five custom hunting shotguns will be up for grabs.
And to go perfectly with the deadly weaponry, other prizes will include two custom-branded trucks as well as five lifetime hunting and fishing licenses and 25 state park getaways.
But as if that wasn't enough to incentivize those who are a bit on the apprehensive side of receiving the jab, the state has also set up a financial lottery system in which one person will receive one million dollars every week over the course of six weeks. The grand prize of 1.58 million will be drawn on August 5 with the runner up receiving a very generous $588,000.
Essential incentivizing program
Lastly, two full four-year scholarships for any institution in the state of West Virginia will be given out to people between the ages of 12 and 25. The draws will run from June 20 to August 4. The state's governor, Jim Justice, explained that the incentivizing program would be crucial in ensuring that as many people as possible get the vaccine:
The faster we get people across the finish line the more lives we save. That's all there is to it. If the tab just keeps running the cost is enormous. The hospitalisations are enormous. We have to get all of our folks across the finish line.
Other states in the country have also been trying to find innovative ways of encourage vaccination and swaying anti-vaxxers by offering weed, food and gym memberships. As it stands, latest data shows that 51.4% of all of West Virginia has received at least the first dose of the jab.
