Vaccinated individuals who have completed their vaccinations will now be eligible to win cash rewards in a new lottery drawing that will be open to more than 2 million Maryland residents.
Gov. Larry Hogan announced the beginning of the “VaxCash 2.0” program on Tuesday, which would provide large cash payouts to Marylanders who have seen a financial boost.
Each week for the next 12 weeks, the Maryland Lottery will select and award one boosted Marylander at the random beginning on Friday, February 15. The inaugural drawing, which will take place on Tuesday, will begin with a prize pool of $500,000 to get things started.
The winners of the second through eleventh weeks will each get $50,000. The grand prize winner for Week 12 will get a one-million-dollar cash reward.
In order to be eligible, you must meet the following requirements:
- Be a legal resident of Maryland.
- You must be 18 years old or older.
- In Maryland, you can have your primary COVID vaccine dosage as well as a booster shot.
- Make an appointment for a booster shot by Monday, February 14.
Hogan stated that the lottery was established to encourage all Marylanders to receive their booster vaccinations, similar to the first system that was implemented on Memorial Day last year to urge people to be vaccinated.
According to Hogan, “the most essential lesson learned from the omicron surge is exactly how critically important it is to obtain a booster shot.”
According to Gov. Hogan, the state of Maryland has delivered 2.1 million booster shots to its citizens. Although booster rates among seniors are more than 70%, the governor emphasized that the percentage for all persons aged 18 and over is closer to 50%.
As part of his update, Hogan expressed satisfaction with the state’s COVID indicators. The state’s positivity rating, which reached a high of more than 30% in January, has dropped to 5.81 percent, representing an 80 percent reduction since that time.
According to Hogan, this is the fifth-lowest rate in the United States. Hospitalizations have also reduced by 67 percent since the peak of 3,500 persons in January of this year (now approximately 1,100). And last, according to Governor Hogan, Maryland has the lowest case rate in the country.
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What method does the state use to determine who has been vaccinated?
In accordance with the Maryland Lottery, the Maryland Department of Health maintains a record of this information. According to the agency, the agency maintains a secure computer system for tracking the information and personal data of persons who “have had COVID-19 immunizations provided at non-federal facilities in Maryland,” according to the agency.
Immunization information is gathered and stored in a system known as the “Immunization Information System,” sometimes known as “ImmuNet.” This information is not shared with the Maryland Lottery unless the winner expressly authorizes the sharing of such information.
The lottery is not open to those who live in Maryland but who obtained their vaccinations or booster doses in other regions, such as D.C. or Virginia, because they do not meet the residency requirements. The state does not have access to the immunization data of people who live in other states or countries.
What safeguards will be in place to secure personal information?
It is only after the winner signs the “$2 Million VaxCash Promotion Authorization Form” that the winner’s information will be shared with the Maryland Lottery. Winners will be given the choice to stay anonymous, just as they would in a typical lottery.
In a press release, the Maryland Lottery stated that “for winners from larger communities with populations of 60,000 or more, the location of the winners’ hometowns will be publicized.” For winners from smaller towns, just the winners’ home counties will be made public, according to the contest rules.
I’m curious as to where the money for this promotion is coming from.
In accordance with the Maryland Lottery, the funds for this program are derived from the Maryland Lottery’s Marketing Fund. This is used “for the sake of advertising and promotion.”
Maryland Lottery stated that “the money has already been allotted to the Maryland Lottery for that purpose,” according to the Maryland Lottery.
Furthermore, the VaxCash Promotion will not reduce the amount of money that the Maryland Lottery contributes to public schools and other state-sponsored initiatives.
