COLUMBUS, Ohio — In an effort to get more younger Ohioans vaccinated for the coronavirus (COVID-19), Governor Mike DeWine is offering a new incentive.
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At a press briefing on Thursday, DeWine announced the details of what he is deeming Ohio's "Vax to School" program in which vaccinated Ohioans between the ages of 12 and 25-years-old will be eligible for scholarship drawings, including five $100,000 scholarships. In addition to the five $100,000 scholarships, the state will also hold 50 drawings for $10,000 scholarships for the same age group.
Exact details of the program will be announced by the Ohio Lottery in the coming weeks.
"Vaccinations remain our ticket out of this pandemics. Vaccinations are the way that we keep our hospitals from being overcrowded," DeWine said, noting the lower vaccination rates among younger Ohioans. "They remain [available]."
Ohio's "Vax to School" program marks the second such program to incentivize Ohioans to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Earlier this year, DeWine implemented "Vax a Million" drawings in which all vaccinated Ohioans were eligible for five $1 million drawings, with additional drawings for full-ride scholarships for those ages 12-17.
According to DeWine, the announcement of Ohio's initial vaccination lottery program helped increase the state's vaccination rate. A study performed by Boston University, however, disputed the success of the program.
Last week, DeWine revealed that the Ohio Children's Hospital Association has asked all of the state's school districts to implement mask mandates -- a request that DeWine said he supports. DeWine, however, also said that he won't issue a statewide mask mandate because Ohio's General Assembly has already indicated it would reverse one.
You can watch DeWine's full press briefing from Thursday in the video player below.