Jefferson County aims to offer more COVID-19 vaccine prizes, to reach goal

MADRAS, Ore. (KTVZ) – Jefferson County, striving to reach a 65% adult vaccination rate so that business restrictions can loosen, plans to boost the number of prizes county residents can win through the recently announced “Take Your Shot Oregon” statewide campaign and its $1 million grand prize.

County commissioners on Wednesday approved spending about $220,000 in federal CARES Act funding from the state to boost vaccine incentives and also to fund vaccine planning information.

Commissioners voted to allocate $110,000 of the funds to award more $10,000 prizes for Jefferson County residents in the vaccine incentive program involving the Oregon Lottery and Oregon Health Authority.

Along with the one $10,000 prize already being awarded by the statewide effort in each county, Jefferson County wants to add 11 more, for a total of 12, if Lottery and OHA officials agree to the plan.

They also have asked the state to allow for three of the county prizes to be for 12-17-year-olds, with each prize being a $10,000 Oregon College Savings Plan account.

The OHA dashboard showed as of Thursday, 49% of Jefferson County residents over 16 had received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 65% in Deschutes County and 45% in Crook County (figures that don't include some federal data on vaccination numbers).