With the number of people getting their Covid-19 vaccinations slowing by about 50% in the last several weeks, states and even some cities are offering some clever incentives to encourage more people to participate.
So far, Ohio wins the award for the biggest thinking. The state will offer a $1 million prize for five consecutive weeks, with anyone who has received at least one shot eligible for the money. The state also has set up a drawing for people 18 and under who get the shot: Five winners will be eligible to win four years of tuition at any public university in Ohio.
Other states have decided to offer something to more people who get vaccinated. West Virginia is offering a $100 savings bond to anyone 35 or younger. Maryland will pay $100 to any state employee who gets the vaccine. In New York, vaccinated residents will be eligible for ticket vouchers to Yankees and Mets games.
Some of the best ideas, though, reward everyone who gets vaccinated. New Jersey, for example, has its “Shot and a Beer” program, in which anybody of legal age who gets their shots qualifies for a free beer.
The U.S. News & World Report website reported that businesses are on board, too. The Krispy Kreme chain may have started the reward trend back in March, when it gave free doughnuts to anyone that had been vaccinated. A restaurant chain in Washington, D.C. is offering $50 gift cards to anyone vaccinated May 8 or later.
These “behavioral incentives,” as economists call them, appear to be needed. As of Monday, 37% of the eligible American population had been fully vaccinated — 123 million people out of 280 million, according to The Washington Post. But the concept of “herd immunity,” meaning that so many people have medical defenses against an infection that it dies out, requires participation of 60% to 70%.
Basically, the vaccination rate needs to almost double from where it is now. That’s a large number, one that may require a greater incentive than a free beer or a long shot at a $1 million prize.
Nowhere is the challenge greater than in Mississippi, whose vaccination percentage trails every other state. While 37% of eligible Americans have been fully vaccinated, Mississippi’s number is just 26%. There’s a similar gap between partial vaccination numbers: the nation is at 47%, Mississippi is last at 33%.
With a little imagination, and possibly some legislative buy-in, Mississippi could encourage a lot more people to get vaccinated.
A gift card for use at retailers or restaurants might convince some people. But if the state really wanted to get creative and encourage skeptics to roll up a sleeve, it could set up a $100 deduction on 2021 income taxes for every person who is fully vaccinated.
That might take legislative consent, but if memory serves, the people in charge of the Legislature are trying to get rid of income taxes. This would be one small step. Think about it.
— Jack Ryan, Enterprise-Journal
