Ohio, USA, First Winner of $1 Million 'COVID-19 Vaccine Lottery' Announced

Ohio Lagging in Vaccination Rate
Introduced to Increase Vaccination Rate... 2.8 Million People Flock, Great Success

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The first winner of the COVID-19 vaccine lottery has emerged in Ohio, USA.

On the 26th (local time), according to the AP News, Ohio announced that the first winner of the vaccine lottery "Vax-a-Million" is a woman named Abigail Bergenske, who resides in Silverton, Hamilton County. Abigail won the lucky prize of 1 million dollars. Another winner, who will receive college tuition, is a 14-year-old male student named Joseph Costello living in Englewood, Montgomery County.

Ohio is one of the states lagging behind in vaccination rates and introduced "Vax-a-Million" to increase the number of vaccinated individuals.

Vax-a-Million is a type of lottery program that selects one adult and one vaccinated person aged 12 to 17, awarding each 1 million dollars (approximately 1.1179 billion KRW) and college tuition including living expenses. Including this announcement, a total of five winners will be selected.

On the 12th, Ohio announced that to increase vaccination rates, one vaccinated person would be selected every Wednesday for the next five weeks to receive 1 million dollars.

Some criticized it as a "waste of money," but it succeeded in raising vaccination rates.

According to an AP News analysis, the vaccination rate among residents aged 16 and older who started receiving vaccines increased by 33% within a week after the announcement of the Vax-a-Million program.

The proportion of residents who received at least one vaccine shot also jumped to about 45%.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine wrote on Twitter that day, "I know some people say I am crazy and that giving 1 million dollars to one vaccinated person is a waste of money," adding, "But the real waste during the pandemic is losing lives to COVID-19 when vaccines are available for anyone who wants them."

In the United States, more states are introducing lottery systems to increase vaccination rates.

Colorado announced on the 25th that it would implement a lottery program for vaccinated individuals similar to Ohio's, and earlier on the 21st, Oregon announced a lottery offering prizes ranging from 10,000 to 1 million dollars for vaccinated individuals aged 18 and older who have received at least one dose.

New York and Maryland also announced vaccine lottery programs on the 20th, with top prizes of up to 5 million dollars and 400,000 dollars, respectively.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.