The Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn sponsors ‘Philly Vax Sweepstakes’ to incentivize Phila. residents to get vaccinated

Penn has partnered with the City of Philadelphia to sponsor a lottery of monetary prizes of up to $50,000 awarded to individuals for getting the COVID-19 vaccine, according to an announcement by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney. “There’s been a real surge in interest in using financial incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated,” Director of CHIBE Kevin Volpp said. “Efforts like the Philly Vax Sweepstakes recognize that there are a number of people who are reluctant to get vaccinated. It’s a way to try to get people vaccinated because that’s our best path out of the pandemic.” During each entry period, half of all winners will be chosen from one of the zip codes with the lowest vaccination rates, according to the official rules of the sweepstake. In the first entry period, six winners will be chosen from the 19126 zip code in the East and West Oak Lane neighborhoods of North Philadelphia. Compared to the rest of the city, those living there have “roughly a 100 times greater chance” of winning one of the prizes, according to the mayor’s announcement. Read more at The Daily Pennsylvanian.