OHIO residents who get the Covid vaccine could win $1million or full-ride college scholarships as the state governor ends the mask mandate.
Governor Mike DeWine, 74, is set to giveaway millions of dollars from federal funds in prizes after announcing a lottery for people who have received the coronavirus vaccine.
He hopes the move, called “Ohio Vax-a-million,” will push people to get the jab.
The news comes as DeWine announced Wednesday evening Ohio will lift the state mask mandate and all remaining coronavirus health orders except those for nursing homes and assisted living facilities on June 2.
Republican DeWine said in a Twitter thread: “Two weeks from tonight on May 26th, we will announce a winner of a separate drawing for adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine. This announcement will occur each Wednesday for five weeks, and the winner each Wednesday will receive one million dollars.”
To be eligible you have to live in Ohio, aged 18 or over and have had at least one Covid vaccine.
Ohioans aged under 18, who are eligible to get the vaccine will be entered into a separate draw for the chance to win a four-year full scholarship to any of Ohio’s state colleges and universities, including full tuition, room and board.
DeWine later added on Twitter: “I know that some may say, ‘DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money.’ But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a life lost to Covid-19.”
The winning payouts will be funded by existing federal coronavirus relief funds, according to DeWine.
One lucky winner will be picked each week for five weeks.
The pool of names entered into the lottery will be obtained from the Ohio Secretary of State’s publicly available voter registration database.
Although there will be a webpage for people to sign up for the lottery if they are not in the database being used by the state.
The draws will be administered by the Ohio Department of Health with technical assistance from the Ohio Lottery Commission.
Nearly 42 per cent of Ohioans have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to the state’s Department of Health.
