The money will come from existing federal Coronavirus Relief Funds.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 13, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Ohio’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine unveiled Wednesday an unusual incentive to encourage more residents to take one of the experimental COVID-19 vaccines: entering recipients in weekly drawings for one million dollars.
As of May 13, almost 4.3 million Ohioans have been fully vaccinated, which is approximately 36% of the state’s population. Policymakers across the country have expressed frustration at a lack of interest in getting vaccinated by many Americans beyond the initial rush.
DeWine’s solution is to enter adults who have at least obtained the first injection of a coronavirus vaccine into a lottery for one of five drawings of one million dollars apiece, announced every Wednesday for five weeks starting May 26.
“The Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings, and the Ohio Lottery will conduct them,” the governor said. “The money will come from existing federal Coronavirus Relief Funds.”
“I know that some may say, ‘DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,’” he continued. “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.”
He also announced that minors between the ages of 12 and 17 will also be incentivized to take the injections with five drawings for a “full, four-year scholarship to our state universities.”
