MENDOCINO Co., 6/4/21 — California has launched an elaborate vaccine lottery, in which anyone who is over 12, a state resident, and has at least one dose of the vaccine is eligible to win in cash prizes. And this morning the first 15 winners across the state were selected, each winning $50,000 , including one lucky resident of Mendocino County.
The program, called “Vax for the Win,” kicked off with a live drawing at 10 a.m. today, and all California residents who have received one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine were automatically included, although certain people such as public health officials were excluded from the contest.
During the event, 15 different winners were selected, and the counties where the those people registered for their COVID vaccinations were announced, although the names of the official winners will be kept private for several days while state officials contact those selected to get permission to share the award publicly.
But if you are the Mendocino County resident selected and want to share, let us know! Winners will receive the award after they get their second dose of the vaccine. The Mendocino County residents was the first person chosen from the lottery, and the drawer assisting with the event joked that it was easy to locate on the state map.
Out of the 15 people selected, several counties had several lottery winners, including Santa Clara, San Francisco, and San Diego. There will be an additional rounds of lottery drawings in the coming month, including next Friday. And on June 15, 10 people will be drawn to win $1.5 million each. More details of the “Vax for the Win” program can be found here, and the announcement of the winners from today here.
More than 83,400 doses of the vaccine have been administered to people in Mendocino County, and North Coast Opportunities is also providing gifts and gift cards to vaccinated residents on Fridays, more details here. However, Mendocino County COVID cases are rising again, with an increase in the last several weeks of coronavirus cases among unvaccinated residents (watch the May 28 county press conference here). California is just one of a number of states across the country that has implemented cash lottery programs for residents who have received the COVID vaccine.
You can watch the full video of the lottery drawing here. Information about Mendocino County’s upcoming vaccination clinics can be found here. The press release from Newsom’s office is below:
Governor Newsom Draws First 15 Winners in California’s Vax for the Win Giveaway
$750,000 awarded in first round of cash prize drawings, in which more than 21 million Californians were entered to win
Roughly 350,000 newly vaccinated Californians started vaccination process and have become eligible for $50 incentive cards
SACRAMENTO – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom selected the first 15 lucky Californians to be awarded $50,000 for doing their part in getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The $750,000 awarded in today’s randomized drawing is part of California’s new $116.5 million Vax for the Win program – the largest vaccine incentive program in the nation – which includes $50 incentive cards to newly vaccinated residents and cash prize drawings for all who have received at least one dose. This historic program is designed to motivate Californians to get vaccinated leading up to the state’s reopening on June 15th.
“California has made incredible progress in the fight against COVID-19, with the lowest case rates in the entire country and millions more vaccines administered than any other state. But we aren’t stopping there, we’re doing everything it takes to get Californians vaccinated as we approach June 15 to help us safely reopen and bring the state roaring back,” said Governor Newsom.
Since Vax for the Win launched, roughly a million vaccine doses having been recorded, including roughly 350,000 Californians newly starting their vaccination process. In total, California has administered more than 38 million vaccines, ranked number 8 in the world. California has administered 15.4 million more doses than any other state and more than 70 percent of the adult population has received at least one dose.
“We are making another push to get more Californians vaccinated against COVID-19,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. “With more than 70 percent of adults having already received at least one dose, the Vax for the Win program is the creative approach we need to make that final push for those who remain unvaccinated.”
More than 21 million Californians aged 12+ are at least partially vaccinated and automatically entered to win in the cash prize drawings. The second $50,000 drawing will take place next Friday, June 11, when an additional 15 Californians will be selected. On June 15, when California safely reopens, 10 winners will be selected to receive $1.5 million each – adding up to a total of $15 million in cash prizes. On top of that, the 2 million newly-vaccinated Californians who get their dose since Vax for the Win launched will be eligible to receive $50 prepaid and grocery cards.
Winners from today’s drawing live throughout the state in the following counties: Mendocino, Los Angeles, Santa Clara, Alameda, San Diego, San Francisco, Orange, San Luis Obispo. They start being notified directly by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) within hours of the drawing and over the next four days by telephone, text, email or other contact information associated with the person’s record in the state’s vaccine registry. To protect their privacy, all winners will have the option to accept their cash prize while remaining anonymous or decline it altogether.
Winners must complete their vaccination in order to claim their prize. If someone under 18 wins, the cash will be put in a savings account for them until they turn 18. For more information about Vax for the Win, please visit https://covid19.ca.gov/vax-for-the-win.
Throwing money around. Tax payers’ money. I would rather see tiny homes for Veterans.
Nuisance trying to buy his way out of his recall predicament. I don’t remember giving consent to use our tax money for bribing people to accept an unproven medical procedure. Assisting veterans with PTSD, wildfire abatement, giving a boost to small business owners who lost everything during draconian shutdown mandates, and a number of other uses are far more worthy of funding than this ill-advised lottery scam!