Big incentive: First prizes for DE Wins! given out

By Tim Mastro
Posted 5/31/21

DOVER — The first four winners of Delaware’s COVID-19 vaccination-incentive program, DE Wins!, were drawn Monday at the Delaware Lottery office.

The prizes included two Delaware …

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Big incentive: First prizes for DE Wins! given out

Posted

DOVER — The first four winners of Delaware’s COVID-19 vaccination-incentive program, DE Wins!, were drawn Monday at the Delaware Lottery office.

The prizes included two Delaware State Park passes and Wilmington Blue Rocks tickets for those ages 12 to 17 who have been vaccinated so far. Another drawing was for $5,000 to those who have been vaccinated since May 24.

The winners will be contacted today by the Delaware Division of Public Health.

Gov. John Carney was in attendance Monday and pressed the button for some of the drawings. He said the hope is that the incentive program helps the state reach its goal of 70% of Delawareans fully vaccinated by July 4.

“We think this incentive will help us do that, and we can have some fun, as well, and highlight some of the things that are cool about Delaware,” Gov. Carney said. “It encourages people to get vaccinated, to be more active and to get out there and enjoy Delaware and have some fun while we’re doing it.”

As of Sunday at 11:59 p.m., 60% of Delawareans 16 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Carney said that if the current pace of daily vaccinations keeps up, then the state will hit 70% fully vaccinated by the Fourth of July.

“We’re on target,” he said. “We can’t allow the numbers to dip too much further than they are now though. We are above the daily vaccination rate that will take us to July 4 to get over 70%. But we think these incentives are important, so that it doesn’t fall off, and maybe, in fact, it picks up a little bit.”

For the $5,000 prize drawn Monday, 6,581 individuals were entered, representing those vaccinated between May 24 and Sunday. Five alternates were also drawn in case the DPH cannot contact the winner.

For those 12 to 17, 16,547 Delawareans were in the drawings for the Delaware State Park passes and Blue Rocks tickets. Drawings will be done Mondays and Fridays until June 30.

Gov. Carney noted that the odds are better to win these prizes than through the normal lottery, where there are far more entrants.

“The chances for winning are good,” he said.

To protect confidentiality, each vaccinated person is assigned a random number by the DPH, which is then randomized again by the Delaware Lottery before the drawing.

Everyone who is vaccinated is automatically registered for the prizes when they receive their shot, including the grand prize of $302,000 and two low-number Delaware license plates, which will be drawn June 30. All Delawareans, as long as they are fully vaccinated by June 30, will be eligible for the grand prize.

“If you’re vaccinated, you’re good. You are in our system,” Gov. Carney said. “You are automatically registered.”

As vaccinations increase, Delaware’s COVID-19 statistics have continued to improve.

The state set a yearly low for COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday, with 48 hospitalized with the virus as of Sunday at 6 p.m. That is the lowest number since there were 40 hospitalized Aug. 24, 2020. Of those currently in the hospital, seven cases are considered critical.

The DPH reported 47 new positive cases of COVID-19 and no new COVID-19-related deaths Monday. Those totals are now at 108,866 cases and 1,661 COVID-19-related deaths.

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