New Mexico is rolling out a COVID-19 lottery program that will offer one COVID-19 vaccine recipient a $5 million grand prize, representing one of the largest such awards being offered in the nation, reports The New York Times.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham unveiled the Vax to the Max program June 1, which will offer cash prizes totaling $10 million. The state will give $250,000 to lottery winners from each of New Mexico's four public health regions every week, for five weeks, starting in mid-June. In early August, one winner will be drawn from a statewide pool of vaccinated adults to receive the $5 million grand prize.
New Mexico is among a handful of states seeking to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations via lotteries. As of June 1, 55.8 percent of New Mexico residents age 16 and up were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, state data shows.
Ohio was the first state to launch such a program in May. Health officials said the state's vaccination rate jumped 28 percent from May 14-17 after Gov. Mike DeWine announced the lottery.