Health authorities in Grenada have launched “a game of chance” as part of a strategy to lure more citizens to become inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine which is currently the only vaccine available on island offering protection against Covid-19.
Grenada began its vaccination programme against the virus on Feb. 12 and to date no more than 19,000 citizens have received the first dose and a little more than 9,000 are fully vaccinated. The vaccine is offered to all citizens over 18 and using the Parliamentary Elections Office registration as a guide, approximately 80,000 persons are qualified to be vaccinated.
Health authorities have over the past weeks expressed disappointment with the hesitancy among the population because Grenada is located between Trinidad and Tobago, and St Vincent and the Grenadines, and these jurisdictions are presently experiencing community clusters and or community outbreaks of Covid-19.
“All persons who have been vaccinated will automatically be entered into a lottery draw and anyone who comes forward between now and the 27th will also be automatically entered into a lottery draw which will be done on the 27th for EC$10,000,” Health Minister Nickolas Steele announced during the post cabinet briefing on Tuesday, June 15.
“So, each dose will be valid for a ticket,” he said about the incentive which is a partnership between the Grenada National Lotteries Authority and Covid-19 Committee.
Steele said that world health data is showing that most of the people who are coming down with the severe form of the disease are not vaccinated or are not fully vaccinated. He is hopeful the launch of the game will boost the vaccinated numbers.
A vaccinated person cannot opt out of the game, but will be allowed to pass the winnings on to a charity or refuse it. “I cannot see why anyone will refuse the winning but if it happens, we can also have another draw,” he said.
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