Source: Amy Cherry / AfroTech
As the nation continues to fight vaccination hesitancy, particularly as it pertains to the COVID-19 vaccine, a young Delaware woman named Sophie Poindexter is making headlines after recently winning $302,000 in the state’s DE Wins! vaccine incentive program.
According to an ABC-affiliated local news source, Gov. John Carney and some other officials awarded the Newark resident with her big check on July 20 in Willington.
“They told me, ‘You’re going to need to sit down for this because you’re the big winner,'” Pointdexter had recalled about the moment she was alerted of the news of her lucky success.
While the recent college graduate hasn’t spent the prize money on any big purchases so far, she plans to use some of the funds to “book a trip.”
Poindexter’s win comes amidst a slew of similar vaccine incentive programs happening around the country. Most notably, California made headlines back in May when its governor Gavin Newsom announced their “Vax For The Win” multi-faceted program wherein which 30 Californians over the age of eight would be eligible to win $50,000, ten people were awarded 1.5 million, and two million people were eligible to receive a $50 prepaid or grocery card.
In addition to awarding each winner $2000, the state also gave away six vacations including a spa in Palm Springs, a trip to Disneyland, and the chance to see the Lakers play in Los Angeles.
The Louisiana Department of Health’s “ShotAMillion” program started on July 9, and offers the chance to win $100,000 every week to all Louisiana residents over the age of 18 who’ve received at least one shot of the vaccine until August 13, when an additional grand prize of $1,000,000 will be awarded to a lucky winner.
In Maryland, the state’s health department chose to collaborate with the Maryland Lottery for “VaxCash” — where $2 million in prize money was doled out.
Many are still skeptical about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine despite evidence of its effectiveness and lowering peoples’ chances of contracting the virus and spreading it and its variants.
Read about some of the vaccine incentives happening around the country here.
