The state of Minnesota is offering teenagers who get their COVID-19 vaccination a chance to win a gift card or scholarship.
On Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced the “Kids Deserve a Shot” program, which encourages youth to get vaccinated in the next six weeks.
To be eligible, an individual must be a Minnesotan between the ages of 12 and 17. If someone receives their vaccine between Oct. 18 and Nov. 9, with their second dose by Nov. 30, they will be eligible to receive a $200 Visa gift card.
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“Our administration is dedicated to doing everything we can to keep our kids safe during this pandemic — and that includes working to get as many Minnesotans vaccinated as possible,” Walz said in a statement. “We’re launching this program to help reward teens for doing their part by getting fully vaccinated and keeping our schools, community, and state safe.”
Teenagers who got their vaccines before the “Kids Deserve the Shot” program launched are still eligible for rewards. Any Minnesotan between 12 and 17 vaccinated in 2021 will qualify for one of five $100,000 college scholarships.
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Several states have also provided incentives for adults and teenagers to get vaccinated, as COVID-19 vaccines have been available for people ages 16 and older since mid-April.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires two injections 21 days apart, for teenagers between 12 and 15 in May. The FDA announced a delay for the Moderna vaccine for adolescents on Friday, citing concerns about the shot causing a heightened risk of a rare heart condition.
Officials in Washington, D.C., gave vaccinated youth from select middle schools in the district Visa gift cards, AirPods, and a chance to be entered into a scholarship giveaway. The state of Washington held a state lottery in June, offering an opportunity to receive $250,000.
As of Oct. 18, 54% of Minnesotans between 12 and 15 have gotten one dose of vaccine. Teenagers between the ages of 16 and 17 are slightly higher, with 60% having at least one vaccine dose.
