The COVID-19 vaccination rate in the state of Ohio has surged after Gov. Mike DeWine announced that five residents will win $1 million each as a monetary incentive for getting inoculated, health officials said this week.
Ohio’s Department of Health said Thursday that from May 14 to 17, vaccination rates for people 16 and older jumped 28 percent. The Republican governor announced the state’s incentive program (pdf), named “Ohio Vax-a-Million,” on May 12.
Under the “Ohio Vax-a-Million,” which will be funded by existing federal pandemic relief funds, Ohio residents who are at least 18 years old and have received “at least” one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to win the sum in once-a-week lottery drawings, the governor announced last week.
The first drawing will occur on May 26, DeWine said at the time, noting that the Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings and the state Lottery will conduct them.
“This dramatic increase in vaccinations indicates that the Vax-a-Million drawing has been impactful in creating momentum for vaccinations throughout Ohio,” Stephanie McCloud, director of the state’s health department. “We are grateful that the drawings are helping spur Ohioans to take this important measure to protect their health, their loved ones, and their community.”
“We are seeing increasing numbers in all age groups, except those 80 and older, who are highly vaccinated already,” McCloud added. “Although the rate among that group is decreasing, it is doing so at a less rapid pace, demonstrating some positive impact even in that group.”
DeWine said last week that the pool of names for the drawings, set to take place each Wednesday for five weeks, will come from the Ohio Secretary of State’s publicly available voter registration database. Residents not in the database can register on a separate website that will be made available later, the governor said.
