Washington: More states and cities across the US are offering lotteries, cash payments or other incentive programs to encourage more residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
From $1 million cash prizes to a free dinner with a Governor, states are introducing incentives as part of their efforts to boost vaccination rates as the daily administered doses in April and May dipped, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We encourage states to use their creativity to draw attention to vaccines and get their states and the country back to normal as quickly as possible," Andy Slavitt, White House senior adviser on the national COVID-19 response, said on Monday.
On May 24, California, the most populous US state, announced to offer $116.5 million in prize money to stimulate residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19, as it prepares to fully reopen on June 15.
Top 10 winners will receive $1.5 million each on the first day of the state's reopening, while another 30 people will take a $50,000 prize on June 4 and 11.
Ohio unveiled a Vax-a-Million lottery program to boost lagging vaccination rates.
The state announced its first $1 million dollar vaccine lottery winner last week, a 22-year-old from Shaker Heights.
Maryland, New York and Oregon have also announced similar programs to boost vaccination rates.
President Biden has set a national goal to get 160 million Americans fully vaccinated and at least one shot administered to 70 per cent of individuals by Fourth of July or Independence Day.
Over 40 per cent of the American population have been fully vaccinated till date, and over 50 per cent of the population has received at least one dose, according to US CDC date.
The number of Americans fully vaccinated is more than 135 million, CDC data show.
Among the fully vaccinated, nearly 41 million are people 65 years of age or older, accounting for 74.8 per cent, according to the CDC.