Hoping to revive flagging demand for Covid-19 vaccinations, Governor Kate Brown on Friday announced that all Oregonians 18 and older who get immunized will have a shot at winning a $1 million prize.
The so-called “Take Your Shot Oregon” campaign will feature other incentives as well. One additional winner in each of the state’s 36 counties will be awarded a $10,000 cash prize, and Oregonians age 12 to 17 will have a chance to win one of five $100,000 Oregon College Savings Plan scholarships.
All Oregonians who have received at least one dose of one of the three Covid-19 vaccines authorized for emergency use (Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson) will be automatically entered to win, Brown said in the announcement Friday.
Governor Kate Brown on Twitter: “If you’ve been waiting to get a vaccine, or you just haven’t gotten around to it yet, we’re going to give you, Oregon, an extra incentive.How about a chance to win a million dollars?Take Your Shot, Oregon. Roll up your sleeves, and get a chance to change your life. / Twitter”
If you’ve been waiting to get a vaccine, or you just haven’t gotten around to it yet, we’re going to give you, Oregon, an extra incentive.How about a chance to win a million dollars?Take Your Shot, Oregon. Roll up your sleeves, and get a chance to change your life.
“Vaccines are the best tool we have to protect ourselves and our loved ones from Covid-19, and our fastest way to end this pandemic,” said Brown, who called the campaign “a way to thank Oregonians for stepping up and keeping our communities safe.”
The campaign is a collaboration between the Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Lottery and the Oregon State Treasury, and is funded by $1.86 million in federal Coronavirus Relief Act dollars.
OHA officials will draw names for winners in each category, with the assistance of the Oregon Lottery. Officials say no personal identifying information will be shared.
The drawing will be held June 28, with names being announced the following week. Winners will be contacted and will have the opportunity to opt out or to provide their consent to move forward in the prize process.
The deadline to be registered for the drawing is midnight on June 27. Current employees of the Oregon Lottery, the governor, treasury and OHA will be ineligible to win, as will their family members. More information about the drawing is available here.
“This is a win-win,” said State Treasurer Tobias Read. “Get vaccinated now to protect yourself and others, and get the chance to fund your future through a scholarship that can be used for higher education and job training.”
So far, 63% of Oregonians 18 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine. Brown has said individual counties that reach a vaccination level of 65% will go to the lowest coronavirus risk level, allowing larger capacities in restaurants, gyms, theaters, entertainment venues and other businesses.
Once the state as a whole reaches 70% vaccinated, those restrictions will go away altogether. Brown said she also expects at that point to lift other safety protocols, under guidance from the CDC.
“Oregon is closing in on its 70% vaccination goal, which will allow all of us to return to a more normal life,” OHA Director Patrick Allen said Friday.
Officials said games and rewards have shown effectiveness at engaging people who are willing to make responsible health choices but who have not yet made it a priority.
Allen said the prizes could spur the “vaccine inconvenient,” or people who aren’t refusing to get vaccinated but haven’t made time for it, to “take that last step.”
The hope is to boost statewide rates by at least 20%, officials said. Other states have recently announced similar campaigns to boost vaccination rates, including Ohio, which saw a 28% increase in new vaccinations the weekend after its “Vax-a-Million” campaign was announced.
For information about Covid-19 vaccination clinics and availability in Clackamas County, visit clackamas.us/coronavirus/vaccine, call 211 or email questions to COVIDVaccine@clackamas.us.