500,000 visit vaccine incentive website

The goal of the state's COVID-19 vaccination incentive program -- MO VIP -- is to encourage Missourians to consider receiving the inoculation.

According to state health officials, more than 500,000 people looked at the program's website in its first day.

Robert Knodell, acting director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said in a video conference Thursday officials hope the $9 million program sparks interest across the state.

"We want there to be numerous winners across the state that will hopefully reach into all corners of the state, many communities and hopefully every county or almost every county," he said. "Our whole goal is to get Missourians to take another look at vaccination information, to give it some strong consideration, and 500,000 people looking at a website packed with factual information about vaccination ... that is a win already."

MO VIP will award $10,000 in cash or education savings account funds to 900 prize winners. Drawings for the cash prizes will begin Aug. 13 and end Oct. 8, with drawings every two weeks.

Missouri residents at least 12 years of age who have received at least one vaccine dose prior to the drawing date are eligible to enter the drawings at www.MOStopsCovid.com/win or by calling the state's COVID-19 hotline -- (877) 435-8411 -- between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Entrants will automatically be eligible for each drawing, unless they win one of the prizes.

The drawings will include winners in three color-coded groups: Red -- residents 18 and older who received at least one vaccine dose on or after July 21; White -- residents 18 and older who received at least one vaccine dose before July 21; and Blue -- residents age 12 to 17 who received at least one vaccine dose at any time. Each drawing will include 80 randomly selected winners from the Red and White groups and 20 from the Blue group. After the drawings and before officials announce the winners, officials will verify eligibility and vaccination status.

The prizes will be subject to state and federal income taxes.

For those winners younger than 18, the $10,000 prize will be placed in an education savings fund. When the winner turns 18, they will be able to use the funds tax-free for educational purposes or pay taxes on the prize and use the funds however they choose.

The state is using federal funding already transferred to the state to battle the coronavirus pandemic for the program.

Adam Crumbliss, director of the department's Division of Community and Public Health, also announced a CDC-funded program that will partner with county health departments to award $25 gift cards to those receiving the vaccine going forward.

He said the program has three keys: simple to administer and execute, operative as soon as possible and ensures people move toward quickly and effectively getting vaccinated.

State models

Knodell noted Missouri officials consulted with counterparts in a number of other states when crafting MO VIP and used several ideas from Ohio's incentive program.

"In many ways, we have a tougher problem to solve here in our state, which is why we wanted to structure our program based on lessons learned from other states," he said. "I think everyone who gets vaccinated during the duration of this program is a winner, whether they get a prize or not because this vaccine will allow them to live their lives more confidently, more normally, to know that they're protecting themselves."

Knodell said the program's entry component allows individuals to consent to having their record verified should they win a prize.

The acting director added the program is not without detractors.

"It doesn't take much of a stroll around social media to see that there are individuals out there that have an agenda to undermine vaccine competence by undermining the program. We've seen that in the last 18 hours," he said.

Coronavirus vaccinations peaked in the state in April at more than 50,000 per day. That number has dropped below 10,000 per day, and Missouri lags most of the country in percent of population vaccinated against the virus.