ROANOKE, Va. – Officials in the U.S. are rolling out incentives in hopes that more people will roll up their sleeves for a COVID-19 vaccine.
This comes as the demand for the shot has started to fall around the country. Many states are offering sweet deals to entice those who may still be reluctant.
A $100 savings bond in West Virginia; a $10,000 scholarship in Lancaster, California; free beer in New Jersey; donuts from Krispy Kreme; and a drink in Connecticut, to name a few.
So far, officials say the incentives have been a success.
In Virginia, medical experts say an incentive might not be a bad idea as they continue to promote the vaccine.
“There are definitely some people who are still up in the air about getting a vaccine,” New River Health Director Noelle Bissell says. “We are hearing a lot of people say they are going to wait and see.”
Bissell says the most important thing medical experts are doing is working to bring the vaccine to people with mobile clinics, and working to stop the spread of misinformation.
However, she says, larger incentives are being discussed at the state level. No word on what they would look like yet.
“We have partnered with some community organizations to offer very small incentives,” Bissell says. “We don’t want it to be where people feel like we are forcing them to get a vaccine, so we are trying to figure out what we can and can’t do.”