COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) 鈥� The state said Wednesday a southwestern Ohio woman is the first winner of Ohio鈥檚 $1 million Vax-a-Million vaccination incentive prize.
The state also said a Dayton-area teen is the first winner of the program鈥檚 full-ride college scholarship. The names were announced Wednesday night at the end of the Ohio Lottery鈥檚 Cash Explosion TV show.
Gov. Mike DeWine introduced the incentive program May 12 as a way of boosting participation in the state鈥檚 flagging vaccination efforts.
More than 2.7 million adults signed up for the $1 million prize and more than 104,000 children ages 12 to 17 entered the drawing for the college scholarship.
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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below:
The names of two lucky Ohioans, an adult and a child, will be announced Wednesday night as the first winners of the state's Vax-a-Million incentive prizes which include $1 million for those 18 and older and a full-ride college scholarship for teens.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine to boost lagging vaccination rates. More than 2.7 million adults registered for the money prize and more than 100,000 children ages 12 to 17 entered for the scholarship, which includes tuition, room and board, and books.
Four more winners of the $1 million and a college scholarship will be announced each Wednesday for the next four weeks.
The Ohio Lottery conducted the first drawing Monday afternoon at its draw studio in Cleveland using a random number generator to pick the winners ahead of time, and then confirmed the eligibility of the ultimate winner.
Participants must register to enter by phone or via the Vax-a-Million website. Teens can register themselves, but parents or legal guardians must verify their eligibility. The names of entrants who don't win will be carried over week to week.
鈥淚 know that some may say, 鈥楧eWine, you鈥檙e crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money,鈥欌�� the governor said when he announced the incentive. But with the vaccine now readily available, the real waste, 鈥渋s a life lost to COVID-19,鈥� the governor said.
The concept seemed to work, at least initially. The number of people in Ohio age 16 and older who received their initial COVID-19 vaccine jumped 33% in the week after the state announced its million-dollar incentive lottery, .
But the same review also found that vaccination rates are still well below figures from earlier in April and March.
More than 5.2 million people in Ohio had at least started the vaccination process as of Monday, or about 45% of the state. About 4.6 million people are done getting vaccinated, or 39% of the state. Nationally, more than 165 million Americans have started the vaccination process, or about nearly 50% of the population. More than 131 million are fully vaccinated, or nearly 40%.
Vax-a-Million who have received either the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or their first part of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccination.
DeWine鈥檚 proposal inspired similar vaccine-incentive lotteries in , , and .
In Colorado, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis says the state will have a weekly lottery for five residents to win $1 million Tuesday to incentive COVID-19 vaccinations. Colorado is setting aside $5 million of federal coronavirus relief funds that would have gone toward vaccine advertising for five residents to win $1 million each.
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Andrew Welsh-huggins, The Associated Press
