Ohio residents who've gotten the COVID-19 vaccine will have a chance to win a $1 million prize, Gov. Mike DeWine announced May 12. Vaccinated residents under the age of 18 will also have a chance to win a full scholarship to any of Ohio's state colleges and universities.
The state is giving the million-dollar prize to five state residents as part of a weekly lottery beginning May 26. Ohioans aged 18 and older who have received at least one dose by May 26, the day of the first drawing, will be eligible to win. The drawings will occur each Wednesday for five weeks.
"I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you're crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,'" Mr. DeWine wrote in a May 12 tweet. "But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a lost life to COVID-19."
As part of the four-year college scholarship lottery, five vaccinated winners will receive full tuition, room and board. Those drawings will also occur for five straight Wednesdays starting May 26.
The state is using federal coronavirus relief funds to pay for the vaccine incentives and the drawings will be conducted by the state's health department, according to a news release.
In the same announcement, Mr. DeWine said the state will lift most pandemic health orders June 2. This includes social distancing guidelines, mask mandates and capacity restrictions on indoor and outdoor events, though the orders will remain in place for nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Other states and cities across the U.S. have recently launched more modest freebies and giveaways to boost vaccination rates, including New York, where residents who get vaccinated at Metropolitan Transportation Authority pop-up clinics will be given a free seven-day MetroCard.