Ohio Will Give 5 People $1 Million Each For Taking the COVID-19 Vaccine

We've seen donuts, baseball tickets, and free shots (of alcohol) but now Ohio is raising the stakes on vaccinations.

Five people who get vaccinated in Ohio will win $1 million each through a brand new lottery announced earlier this week. As far as I know, this could easily be the most lucrative incentive I've seen to date when it comes to states pushing back on the declining demand for the coronavirus vaccine.

The state of Ohio plans to kick off the vaccine lottery on May 26th. Each week, one adult "who has received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine" will be awarded $1 million.

According to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, there will be a total of five drawings, and while he knows the incentive may sound "crazy" to some, but not crazier than another scenario he described during his address.

I know that some may say, 'DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money. But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic -- when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it -- is a life lost to COVID-19.

While the $1 million lottery is for Ohio citizens aged 18 or older, the governor also announced a lottery for people 17 and younger that will award five winners "a full, four-year scholarship to a State of Ohio university, which includes tuition, room-and-board, and books."

The Ohio Lottery will conduct the drawings and the money will come from federal COVID-19 relief funds that currently exist.

There are people who are adamant against getting the vaccine, but it seems like these incentives are aimed at people who are on the fence about getting the COVID-19 shot or just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Will this be enough to bring out the procrastinators and those who are vaccine-hesitant? Only time will tell.