C.V. Residents Get Your Shot, Maybe Win $500 Gift Card Basket

In a follow-up to our May 28th article that local health officials are discussing vaccine incentives. It looks like they agreed with our idea to hold a raffle for gift cards for those who get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Now while it may not be $1 million dollars, or a full-ride college scholarship like they're giving away in Ohio, area residents have a chance to win a really good prize just for getting their COVID-19 vaccine shot.

According to a Black Hawk County Health Department press release, "the Vaccine Incentive Program will include a raffle of 20- $500 gift card baskets. Four prizes will be drawn every Friday in July, beginning July 2. Drawings will take place at noon each Friday. Black Hawk County Public Health will notify winners".

The $10,000 to fund the program came was provided by local grant funds from the Otto Schoitz Foundation.

What are the requirements to be eligible to win a prize?

• The recipient must be a Black Hawk County resident, and be age 18 or older.
• The recipient must receive their initial dose of COVID-19 vaccination between the dates of June 11-July 29, 2021.
• The recipient must have a current Black Hawk County address listed in the Iowa Immunization Registry Information System (IRIS).
• Initial vaccines received from any provider administering COVID-19 vaccine are eligible as long as during the dates of June 11-July 29, and the person lives in BHC.
• Black Hawk County Public Health employees and their immediate families are not eligible to win.

"We've hit a wall with vaccination rates. It's going much slower than we'd like, and we're trying to be as creative as possible." said Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye, Public Health Director in Black Hawk County.

 

 Black Hawk County vaccine clinics

For a complete list of Covid-19 vaccination clinics or places to schedule an appointment in Black Hawk County click here. You can also find a provider and get more information at Vaccinate.Iowa.gov.

Should vaccine incentives even have to be offered?

Finally, you could debate, why do we have to bribe people to get their vaccine shot? And why do they get rewarded? 58.2% of Black Hawk County residents have already followed the advice of the CDC experts and got the shot. How come we don't get a prize? Just sayin'.