BALTIMORE — Some Marylanders are still unlikely to get vaccinated, despite the state’s new vaccine lottery.
The lottery, which kicks off tomorrow, will give out $40,000 over the next 40 days to Marylanders who received at least one dose of the vaccine.
It’s a part of the state health department’s partnership with the Maryland lottery called Vax Cash which will also give out a jackpot of $400,000 on the Fourth of July.
Marylanders over the age of 18 who have been vaccinated at state run or state partnered vaccination site are eligible to win and will automatically be entered into the contest.
If you received a shot from a federal facility such as a VA clinic, you will not eligible.
So far, more than three million Marylanders have received at least one of dose of the vaccine.
The initiative is the state’s latest effort to encourage people to get vaccinated as vaccine hesitancy remains one of the biggest hurdles to get to herd immunity.
In a question posed to our viewers on Facebook, we asked if the lottery would be enough to motivate them to get vaccinated? We received dozens of comments and practically every one of them said it will not persuade them to get the shot.
Even with a chance to win big money, Kendrick Holmes, of Baltimore, also said he still has no plans to get the vaccine.
“I never had the flu. I never had the flu shot, so I wouldn’t try this with COVID,” he said.
Holmes also said his chances of winning are too slim to make getting the vaccine worth it.
We spoke to him and several others at a Baltimore area grocery store.
A woman, who didn’t want us to use her name, also said she still has concerns about the vaccine and that the lottery isn’t enough to convince her to get vaccinated.
“It doesn’t persuade me. If anything, it makes me a little more skeptical,” she said.
For people like Bobby McCormick, he believes the lottery is a good idea and is a good incentive to encourage people to get vaccinated. McCormick is received at his one dose of the vaccine.
“If I was on the fence about it, I would definitely do it,” McCormick who also said he would use the money to take care of his family and start a business.
Adel Ainslie, who is also vaccinated, said getting vaccinated is the best way for us all to get back to normal.
She’s hoping the lottery will give us the extra push to get there.
“If you don’t play, you don’t win,” she said.
For more information about the vaccine lottery, you can click on this link here.
