“If there’s a way to help nudge people who are still just waiting to get vaccinated because it hasn’t been the most convenient time or they haven’t had time to schedule it, we’re hoping that these thank-you gifts remind them how important it is to come in,” said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.Ĭalifornia Growing consensus that masks can come off as vaccine is vanquishing COVID-19 The pivot to incentives underscores the shifting vaccination campaign, where demand for doses once far outstripped supply and where now those left in the queue are, for a variety of reasons, less eager about getting their shots. Newsom intends to tap into money set aside for pandemic disaster relief and later replenish that account with a portion of the state’s $27-billion share of federal COVID-19 relief funds recently approved by Congress and President Biden.Īlthough the $116.5 million pales in comparison to California’s estimated $267.8-billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, it’s still a sizable amount - roughly three times as much as Newsom’s budget proposes to spend on surge capacity for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection during this year’s wildfire season and far more than his budget’s $3-million plan to study the needs of public health departments, even as those local agencies insist their needs are well-known. State tax revenues are projected to exceed earlier estimates by more than $75 billion by next summer, allowing the governor and lawmakers to fund a variety of programs. The cash for the vaccination incentive program will come from California’s general fund, a Newsom budget spokesman said. More than five months into the inoculation campaign, a vast gulf has opened between the most- and least-vaccinated of California’s 58 counties. All California residents are eligible, regardless of immigration status, with some exceptions, such as people who are incarcerated and some government employees, including workers for public health departments and the California State Lottery.Ĭalifornia Despite California’s overall COVID-19 vaccine progress, gaps remain Prospective winners can decline the award, or they can accept and remain anonymous, though they are permitted to make their award public, Newsom said. Should someone under 18 win, the prize will be put in a savings account until they come of age.Īdditionally, starting Thursday, the next 2 million people who begin and finish their COVID-19 vaccine series will automatically be eligible for either a $50 prepaid gift card or a $50 grocery card that can be used at supermarkets such as Ralphs, Food 4 Less, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, Safeway and Andronico’s. The $50,000 winners will be selected in two batches, half on June 4 and the rest on June 11. The grand prize recipients will be chosen June 15, the date the state is set to fully reopen its economy. These are an opportunity to say thank you to those not only seeking to get vaccinated as we move forward, but also those that have been vaccinated since we first availed those opportunities a number of months ago,” Gov. Those who have previously received their shots will be entered into the drawings automatically, and there is no need to register, according to state officials. Those prizes - along with 30 additional awards of $50,000 each - are open to Californians who have gotten at least one dose. The goal of the multimillion-dollar giveaway is simple: Give residents every possible motivation to finally roll up their sleeves as the state’s vaccine rollout enters its crucial next phase. In the latest and most extraordinary effort yet to boost California’s flagging COVID-19 vaccination rates, state officials on Thursday announced what appears to be the largest inoculation incentive in the nation: the chance for 10 residents to win $1.5 million apiece.
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