Fields: We want more and more people to take advantage of the possibility
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — The first 50 winners of the national vaccine lottery have been chosen as the three-week initiative gets underway.
Officials hope the incentive will help achieve the government’s goal of 200,000 fully vaccinated people by the end of the year.
Speaking to Eyewitness News on the matter yesterday, National COVID-19 Vaccine Consultative Committee Deputy Chair Ed Fields said: “We got our first 50 winners and they are going to be notified by tomorrow on their prizes.”
“We’d like to see more folks taking part; obviously, those taking the first dose will continue to be eligible for the lottery this week and going into the 31st.
“So, we just want more and more people to take advantage of the possibility.”
Only individuals receiving first doses between December 13 and December 31 will be eligible to win cash prizes of $500 weekly.
At the end of the three-week period, all individuals who received the jab during that period will be entered to win $25,000.
Every week, a digital drawing will be conducted of individuals who got their first jab and the winners will be announced every Saturday on Island Luck TV.
Officials previously advised of an excess of 20,000 Johnson & Johnson Janssen vaccines that are set to expire by the end of the year due to low intake of the brand.
Fields noted that despite the challenge to offload the Janssen jab, all available vaccine shots will be included in the initiative.
As of December 18, there were 153,107 fully vaccinated people in the country, including Bahamians and residents who were fully vaccinated abroad and registered their jabs with the ministry.
As of Monday, the number of COVID-19 case in the country stood at 23,161, with 535 active.