Topline
Ohio’s first-of-its kind $1 million lottery for vaccinated residents has helped significantly boost the state’s vaccination rate ahead of the first lottery drawing Wednesday, according to Gov. Mike DeWine, suggesting the success of cash incentives to combat vaccine hesitancy as a growing number of states follow Ohio’s lead.
Educational staff at Kettering City Schools receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Dayton, Ohio, on ... [+]
Key Facts
Ohio announced May 12 it would use its federal coronavirus funding to give out five $1 million prizes to Ohioans who have gotten at least one shot.
Drawings for the “Vax-a-Million” lottery will take place weekly starting Wednesday and continue for five weeks.
DeWine said on CNN Wednesday that the state’s vaccination rate has gone up by 45% with help from the lottery, after the number of people getting vaccinated had started to go down before it was announced.
The governor also noted the state was seeing a particular increase in vaccinations from 16- and 17-year-olds—whose vaccination rate increased by 94%, DeWine said—who are not eligible for the cash prize but can instead win full-ride scholarships to state universities in Ohio through a separate lottery.
DeWine said the cash incentive was important not only for helping people get vaccinated in the first place, but also to move up their shots instead of putting them off, noting it is “so much more valuable” to get the shot now in terms of curbing Covid-19 transmission.
Big Number
44.7%. That’s the percentage of Ohio residents that have received at least a first dose of the vaccine and are eligible for the lottery as of Wednesday, according to Ohio’s Department of Public Health. That’s up from 42.3% who had received at least one shot at the time the lottery was announced two weeks ago on May 12. Ohioans must opt-in to the lottery to participate, and DeWine said Monday 2.75 million people have registered for a chance to win the cash prize.
Crucial Quote
“The true waste at this point in the pandemic is for someone to die from Covid when that's not necessary, when we have the vaccine that could save their life,” DeWine, a Republican, said in response to criticism that the lotteries are a waste of public funds.
Contra
Though Ohio’s vaccination rate has risen in the wake of the lottery, the surge of people getting vaccinated may have predominantly been concentrated in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. The Washington Post notes the state’s vaccination rate actually fell by two percentage points in the past week.
Chief Critics
Ohio’s cash lottery has come under scrutiny by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who have criticized the use of public funds, and while many states have followed Ohio’s lead, others have been unwilling to adopt the practice. “I just question the use of that money for that purpose,” Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, told reporters after Ohio announced its lottery. “I think there's a lot of businesses and others across the state that have suffered dramatically and a million dollars would go a long way here in Wisconsin.”
Key Background
The vaccine lotteries are one of a growing number of incentives state officials have been imposing as a way to get more people vaccinated, which range from free beer in New Jersey to free Six Flags tickets in Illinois. Vaccine hesitancy has become a greater issue as vaccine supply has outstripped demand and inoculation rates have slowed—with polling showing as much as 30% of the population in some states is unwilling to get the shot—and state and local officials have focused their attention on improving confidence in the vaccine and persuading those on the fence to get vaccinated.
Further Reading
Ohio's Vax-a-Million lottery boosts Covid-19 vaccination rate, governor says (CNN)
Ohio Will Give Out $1 Million Randomly To Vaccinated Residents (Forbes)
Vaccinations Spike In Ohio Following Lottery Announcement—But Will It Last? (Forbes)
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? More States Roll Out Massive Lotteries To Incentivize Vaccinations (Forbes)
