A five million 'scratch and win' raffle to encourage New Yorkers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus

The governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo, has announced this Thursday that all New Yorkers over the age of 18 who come to get vaccinated will be eligible for a raffle of 5 million dollars (about 4.1 million euros). The initiative joins the long list of incentives from the US authorities. so that its citizens protect themselves against Covid-19.

It is a program that they have named “Vax and Scratch” (Vaccine and scratch), by which any adult who goes to be vaccinated at 10 facilities throughout the state of New York between May 24 and 28 will receive a scratch and win valued at $20, with which they could win the “5 Million Mega Multiplier” lottery prize.

Although the highest prize is 5 million, New Yorkers who get vaccinated on those dates will also be eligible for other monetary prizes, such as second, third, fourth and fifth, which amount to $50,000, $20,000, $5,000 and $2,000 respectively.

“If you don't decide on the vaccine, now you have an added reason,” Cuomo said at a press conference. “It's a win-win situation.”

Among the 10 vaccination centers that will participate, all of them managed by state authorities, are Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and the Javits Center in Manhattan.

The governor has presented this raffle after emphasizing that the number of people who are being vaccinated has decreased by 43% and that the people who really wanted to receive the injection have already done so. “Now we are reaching the percentage of the population that not only is not enthusiastic, but probably requires some incentive to go get vaccinated.. And then there is the percentage of the population that is directly anti-vaccine,” he explained.

New York State has administered more than 17.8 million doses, and more than 62% of its population has received at least the first injection, according to the latest official data.