Gov. Gavin Newsom drew the first 15 winners who will receive $50,000 as part of California’s $116.5 million "Vax for the Win" lottery program on Friday.
Appearing in front of a large spinning wheel that would look at home on the Price is Right soundstage, Newsom commented on California’s progress and the need to keep up vaccination efforts.
“We stand here proud but also mindful,” Newsom said.
Though California has already administered 38.6 million doses, racial and ethnic disparities persist. Newsom highlighted the need to increase rates of vaccination in Black and brown communities, adding, “We recognize we still have more work to do in that space.”
Newsom said it was time to offer incentives as a way to increase demand for vaccines. Vax for the Win is the largest vaccine incentive program in the nation. Anyone who has already received their vaccination is eligible and automatically enrolled in the raffle.
The program is also giving away $100 million in $50 prepaid or grocery cards for newly vaccinated people in the run-up to the state’s full reopening.
Encouraging those who are interested but not yet vaccinated, Newsom said, “If you’re not eligible today for this drawing of $50,000, next week you'll be eligible.”
The program will randomly select 30 winners for “$50,000 Fridays” cash prize drawings. On June 15, $1.5 million will be awarded to 10 Californians who have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
No winners’ names were called on Friday to respect the individuals’ privacy. Instead, only unique ID numbers and the county the person lives in were called. The state will reach out to winners and share their information publicly only after receiving permission.
Friday’s winners were from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange, San Luis Opisbo, Santa Clara, Menicito, Alameda and San Diego Counties.
The goal is to get more people vaccinated. Epidemiologist Dr. George Rutherford is a professor at University of California, San Francisco.
“We do need to get a few more people vaccinated, by a few more, I mean 10 percent more. We’d ideally like to get to 70 percent of everyone immune in the state,” he said.
Rutherford believes the vaccine lottery will help because it has been successful at increasing vaccination rates in other states.
Claudio Alverado, an emergency pediatric nurse at UC Davis and a navy reserve member who was a part of the emergency response in Brooklyn, NY, joined Newsom on the stage to help announce the winners.
Alverado shared his experience with COVID patients, saying “COVID is real. It’s still here.” He added, “This vaccine can save your life.”