(WWJ) The Michigan sweepstakes for coronavirus vaccinations is getting a lot of interest.
As of Friday, July 2 at 8 a.m., the governor's office says the MI Shot to Win Sweepstakes received 464,698 applicants for the grand prizes.
In addition, there have been 23,978 applications from younger people who have signed up for the scholarships.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the contest on Thursday in hopes of encouraging more people to get their shots.
The sweepstakes began July 1 and ends on Aug. 3, 2021. The incentive program features a $2 million jackpot, a $1 million prize and 30 daily drawings of $50,000 for residents ages 18 and older who have received at least one shot. Vaccinated residents ages 12 to 17 are eligible for one of nine four-year prepaid tuition contracts valued at $55,000.
Residents can get all of the details and register for the contest at www.MIShotToWin.com.
“...I am delighted to see so much excitement for the kickoff of the MI Shot To Win Sweepstakes,” Whitmer said. “We understand there are people out there who have questions, and maybe this will motivate them to seek the answers to their questions so they feel comfortable getting vaccinated."
The MI Shot To Win Sweepstakes is the latest kickoff in a series of lottery-style raffles by other states such as Ohio’s first-in-the-nation launch of the "Vax-a-Million" campaign. Ohio said vaccinations in the state increased 94% among 16- and 17- year-olds, 46% among 18- and 19-year-olds and 55% among those between 20 and 49 years old after Gov. Mike DeWine announced the lotteries.
“If there’s one thing every Michigander can agree on, it’s that whatever Ohio can do, Michigan can do it better and bigger,” Whitmer during a news conference Thursday.
In Michigan, 5,136,486 people or 51% of the state has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Across the U.S. at least 328 million doses have been administered, with 156 million people fully vaccinated, or around 46.5% of the population.