Lotteries May Not Be The Answer As Officials Search For Ways To Hike Vaccinations

Politico: Million-Dollar Lotteries Fail To Cut Through Vaccine Apathy
State efforts to juice Covid-19 vaccination rates through million-dollar lotteries haven’t reversed the steep decline in adults seeking out shots when many pockets of the country remain vulnerable to the coronavirus. While Ohio did see a two-week bump in adult vaccination rates last month after becoming the first state to offer sizable cash prizes, the pace of vaccinations there has already fallen off. And states that followed its headline-grabbing example made some small gains without showing evidence of any comparable surge, a POLITICO analysis of federal and state data shows. (Goldberg and Doherty, 6/19)

Axios: Why COVID-19 Vaccine Lotteries May Work 
NBA season tickets. Scholarships. A chance at $5 million. The list of lotteries and raffles states are launching to drive up COVID-19 vaccination rates is growing, and some local officials are already reporting "encouraging" results. The reason why, some psychologists and public health experts say, is that the allure of lotteries for many people is simply that the prospect of winning a great prize seems better than passing up the chance, regardless of the odds. (Saric, 6/21)

The Washington Post: Lotteries As Public Health Incentives Began Before Covid-19
In some parts of the world with more coronavirus vaccine doses than willing takers, attention-grabbing incentives have begun to catch on. Among them: the chance to win big. Ten vaccinated Californians won $1.5 million each in vaccination lotteries last week. A 22-year-old in Ohio became a surprise vaccine millionaire last month. New York, Maryland and other states are also offering major winnings, and as U.S. vaccination rates slow, White House officials have praised the approach. Other countries have begun to follow suit. Two provinces in Canada announced lotteries with hefty cash prizes this month. Moscow is raffling off five cars a week to vaccinated residents. Hong Kong residents who get the shots are eligible to win a luxury apartment or airline tickets. (Parker and Westfall, 6/20)

CIDRAP: Poorer US Counties Have Lower COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake
A study yesterday in Vaccine reveals socioeconomic disparities in county-level COVID-19 vaccine uptake, with a 32% lower vaccination rate in the most disadvantaged areas. In the study, researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock used the COVID-19 Community Vulnerability Index (CCVI) and seven theme scores to identify links between socioeconomic vulnerability and adult vaccination rates in 2,415 counties up to May 25, 2021. (Van Beusekom, 6/18)

Los Angeles Times: Are L.A. Cops, Firefighters Who Skip COVID-19 Vaccine A Threat?
But despite the priority access and array of incentives, vaccination rates for police, fire and corrections agencies across L.A. and California have lagged well behind the state’s average for adult residents, according to a survey of agencies conducted by The Times. While about 72% of adult Californians and 64% of Los Angeles residents 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, only about 51% of city firefighters and 52% of LAPD officers are at least partially vaccinated. (Rector, Winton, Smith and Welsh, 6/19)

The Hill: Unvaccinated NFL Player Rips League's COVID-19 Rules: 'I'd Rather Die Actually Living'
NFL player Cole Beasley said that he does not plan to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and threatened to defy league protocol for players amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Hi, I’m Cole Beasley and I’m not vaccinated,” the wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills shared in a statement on Twitter on Friday. “I will be outside doing what I do. I’ll be out in the public. If your scared of me then steer clear, or get vaccinated. Point. Blank. Period.” “I may die of covid, but I’d rather die actually living. I have family members whose days are numbered. If they want to come see me and stay at my house then they are coming regardless of protocol,” he added. (Pitofsky, 6/19)

KHN: What It Means When Celebrities Stay Coy About Their Vaccine Status
When two St. Louis Blues hockey players were sidelined because of covid-19 just days before this year’s NHL playoffs, the team said young defenseman Jake Walman had been vaccinated against the deadly illness. But it was mum about the vaccination status of a more well-known player: star forward David Perron. It wasn’t until 10 days later — and after the Colorado Avalanche buried the team, without Perron touching the ice in any of the series’ four games — that he begrudgingly acknowledged he had been vaccinated. (Berger, 6/21)