In a bid to encourage participation in the country-wide vaccination drive, the governor of US state Ohio has come up with a cash incentive.
Taking to microblogging site Twitter, the governor of Ohio Mike DeWine announced the rolling out of a weekly lottery worth $1 million dollars (more than 7 crore rupees) for every voter of the state who gets vaccinated.
He wrote: "Starting on May 26th, we will announce a winner of a drawing for adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine. This announcement will occur each Wednesday for five weeks, and the winner each Wednesday will receive $1 million."
Starting on May 26th, we will announce a winner of a drawing for adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine.
This announcement will occur each Wednesday for five weeks, and the winner each Wednesday will receive $1 million.— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) May 13, 2021
In another tweet he explained the eligibililty criteria for the winner. "To be eligible to win, you must be at least 18 years of age or older on the day of the drawing, you must be an Ohio resident, and you must be vaccinated before the drawing," he said.
Though, people have given a mixed response to the declaration. Many users felt that the idea was genius because $5 million dollars is less than the cost of a marketing campaign to raise the awareness of COVID-19 vaccinations.
While, some feel that instead of spending taxpayer's money on lottery, the state should encourage people to take care of themselves and get vaccinated as per their wish.
In the US, more than 35 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. This number is higher in Ohio where more than 36 per cent of people have received both doses.
