United States: a woman becomes a millionaire thanks to vaccination

 Sylvie Claire / May 27, 2021

The first two winners of the lottery imagined by the American state of Ohio to push residents to get vaccinated against the Covid-19 were announced Wednesday night. A woman, Abbigail Bugenske, can now boast of being a millionaire, having won the draw of this Vax-a-Million.

Another winner was Joseph Costello, a student who won a scholarship. The merit of these two citizens is simply that they got vaccinated.Wednesday night's drawing was the first of Ohio's Vax-a-Million with live television announcements. But a new pair of winners will be announced on a weekly basis for the next four weeks, the Washington Post reports.

Any resident who has received at least one dose of vaccine can enter the lottery for a chance to win a million dollars or a scholarship (for youth between 12 and 17 years old).

Republican Governor Mike DeWine's initiative was aimed at increasing the vaccination rate in his state, where about 45% of the population has now been bitten at least once.This initiative is not the only one of its kind, notes the Washington Post: in Memphis, being vaccinated gives you a chance to win a car.