A Black woman has just won $302,000 in Delaware’s vaccine incentive program.
According to the local ABC affiliate in Delaware, Sophie Poindexter got entered into the lottery after signing up for the COVID-19 vaccine. The Newark, DE native was automatically entered into the program, which is called DE Wins!
“They told me, ‘You’re going to need to sit down for this because you’re the big winner,'” she said to the outlet.
Poindexter also said that she plans to use some of the money to book a trip.
Congratulations are in order, then, for Poindexter!
Delaware is one of many states that have a vaccine incentive program.
The ABC affiliate in Missouri is also offering a similar vaccine incentive program, where residents of the state who get the COVID-19 vaccine are automatically entered to win cash prizes.
Prizes in Missouri include $10,000 cash or $10,000 toward an education savings account. 900 winners total will be selected to win that money.
And the National Governor’s Association has a full list of states that have some form of a vaccine incentive program. Nearly every state in the union has it, and some counties have additional incentives as well. Be sure to check out the website to see what your state and/or county, in particular, offers as an incentive.
Even with all this winning, however, there are plenty of critics of programs like these. Kentucky State Rep. Savannah Maddox told Spectrum News that these incentive programs are a form of “manipulation.”
“I think that the governor has chosen to resort to game show gimmicks and I’m very concerned by the fact that three million dollars of federal relief aid is being allocated for this purpose when it could be going to help address the economic devastation that has resulted from the shutdowns last year,” Maddox said to the outlet.
