Want $100 for getting the COVID vaccine in North Carolina? Your time is running out.
Tuesday is the last day to earn $100 in North Carolina for getting getting vaccinated against COVID-19, as the state looks to other avenues in its continued fight to contain the spreading delta variant.
The state’s Summer Card incentive program previously offered $25 cards to those 18 or older getting their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
But the state increased those incentives to $100 on Aug. 4 to further drive vaccination rates.
In a press release Monday, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said that change saw “notable increases in demand” among some vaccine providers, with several running out of their card supply in a single day.
Providers also saw increases in recipients of the cards rise as much as 98% compared to the week before, DHHS said.
Cards with a $25 value were also awarded to those who drove people to get their first shots.
Bailey Pennington, a spokeswoman for DHHS, said 133,098 Summer Cards have been distributed, as of Aug. 30, amounting to $3,327,450.
The funds came from the approximate $14 million in immunization funding authorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and set aside for the program.
Pennington said the department is still evaluating the effect of the program on vaccination rates.
According to the state health department, at least 54% of the state’s total population has received one dose of the vaccine while 50% are fully vaccinated. That number increases to 63% for those 12 years and older who are partially vaccinated. Fifty-eight percent of those 12 and older are fully vaccinated.
How to get a card before the program ends.
The $100 cards are offered through Tuesday, meaning those seeking one will still be able to get them at participating locations.
If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine and want to get a $100 card, see the NCDHHS COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives website at covid19.ncdhhs.gov/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine-incentives for a list of locations.
When you find a local provider on the site’s map that is open Monday or Tuesday, click the “Register Here” link.
Most of the participating providers offer walk-in vaccinations, and some offer online appointments, according to DHHS. You can also call the Help Center at 888-675-4567 for assistance in finding a participating site.
For more information on how to get and use your $100 card, see here: https://bit.ly/3gNntTj.
New vaccine strategies to come, as COVID spreads in NC.
DHHS said Monday it will continue implementing new strategies to help people get vaccinated, but did not provide specific details about what those would entail.
The state has given out four $1 million prizes to winners of a vaccine lottery as well as three $125,000 scholarships to those who are 12 to 17. Vaccinations are not yet available for people younger than 12.
Hospitalizations reached a pandemic high in North Carolina earlier this month, as deaths from the virus in August more than tripled those in July, The N&O reported.
Health officials have urged the public to get vaccinated in order to slow the rapid spread of the delta variant. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine on Aug. 23 for those 16 and older. It remains available to those 12 to 15 under emergency use authorization.
“As the more contagious Delta variant of the virus is spreading across North Carolina, people should get vaccinated now to protect themselves and their communities,” NCDHHS Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen said in the Monday release. “With record numbers of people needing ICU care, do not wait to vaccinate.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 3:27 PM.