Yahoo Finance $1 million prize for fully vaccinated Aussies launches today
Fully vaccinated Australians can now win up to $1 million as part of a new push to protect the country from COVID-19.
The Million Dollar Vax competition will launch on Monday and is open to Australian residents who get both doses of the vaccine by mid-December.
The lottery will dole out 100 $1,000 in Ultimate eGift cards every day in October, while another $1 million prize will be drawn on 5 November, taking the total prize pool to $4.1 million.
The Million Dollar Vax Alliance is funding the campaign, which includes Craig Winkler, the co-founder of MYOB.
“The purpose of the promotion is not to convince people to be vaccinated. That's a decision you should make in consultation with a health professional,” Winkler said.
“The promotion simply seeks to reward people who decide to be vaccinated now rather than waiting, so that we can reduce the community impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The faster we reach higher vaccination rates nationally, higher than 80 per cent, the sooner we all can safely resume our full range of community and business activity."
Philanthropy Australia CEO Jack Heath described the Alliance as “strategic philanthropy in action”, adding that the campaign should help both hospitality and healthcare workers.
Participants can only enter the lottery once, and must have received at least their first dose by 31 October to be eligible.
Of the eligible Australian population, 56 per cent are now fully vaccinated, while 79 per cent have had at least one dose.
Vaccine lotteries have been rolled out across the USA, with Ohio the first American state to use lotteries to encourage jabs.
It rolled out its campaign on 13 May 2021, offering vaccinated adults the chance to win five jackpots of US$1 million.
Ohio’s Department of Health said the lottery triggered a 28 per cent increase in vaccinations.
Maryland has also given away US$2 million in a vaccine lottery, with state officials saying the vaccines helped make Maryland one of the most vaccinated states in America.
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