Alaska Chamber giveaway offers a chance at cash for vaccination

Alaskans who receive a COVID-19 vaccine through October 30th could win a cash prize or scholarship.

On Thursday, the Alaska Chamber of Commerce announced it will be giving away $49,000 in cash each week to a randomly selected Alaskan adult who receives the first dose of a vaccine within that week from September 11th through October 30th.  Alaskans twelve to seventeen years old are eligible to win the same amount toward an education savings plan that can be used for college or vocational school after graduation.  If the winning student’s parents are vaccinated, they will receive $10,000 in cash.

The giveaway is funded through a grant from the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services as part of the CARES Act from last year.

Kati Capozzi (kuh-PO-zee), President and CEO of the Alaska Chamber, says the organization has been taking part in vaccination advocacy for months.  She believes encouraging Alaskans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is good for the state’s economy.

“Our mission is to promote a healthy business environment in Alaska, and the very foundation of that are healthy people and also a healthcare system that is able to take care of everybody.”

Alaska is not the first state to offer a chance at cash prizes as an incentive to get vaccinated.  The state of Ohio ran a lottery with a prize of a million dollars earlier this year. Capozzi says breaking the drawings up on a weekly basis significantly improves the odds of winning something.

“This is not a cumulative thing, so your odds of winning if you choose to get vaccinated during this program and ender to win, so your odds are pretty darn good.”

Those who have already been vaccinated are not eligible for the weekly drawings, but there will be a single drawing open to those who received a vaccine prior to September 2nd.  

More information on the giveaway is available at give AK a shot dot com.