COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has formally introduced the state's fourth Vax-a-Million winners during a Thursday morning press conference. The winners in week four of Ohio’s COVID vaccine lottery are:
- Suzanne Ward of Findlay in Hancock County: $1 million winner.
- Sean Horning of Cincinnati in Hamilton County: Full-ride college scholarship winner in contest for Ohioans ages 12-17.
“It’s just still sinking in, Gov. DeWine," Ward said. "I woke up and I also wasn’t really sure whether I had lived a dream. It was surreal.”
Ward, however, didn't answer Gov. DeWine's call when he reached out to let her know about her big win.
“Very cautious about answering the phone when I don’t recognize a number, so I ignored two of your calls," she said. "It wasn’t until I got the text and Michael [of Gov. DeWine’s office] showed up at the front door that I realized what happened.”
Ward, who is a business professor in Findlay, said the $1 million is a blessing.
Sean, the winner of college scholarship, just graduated from high school. Now he is thinking about his college career.
“I haven’t made any decisions yet," he said. I’m definitely going to look at some good schools now that I have this opportunity. I’m excited to see what I come up with.”
Sean said winning the Vax-a-Million lottery didn't feel real.
“3,428,514 Ohioans entered the drawing to win $1 million prize, and 150,187 Ohioans age 12 to 17 entered to the drawing for a college scholarship,” state officials said in a press release. “The number of entries in both groups increased from the previous week with 66,311 additional adult entries and 6,583 additional student entries.”
You still have one more chance to win! To be eligible, all you need to do is get at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. If you've already entered the contest, there's no need to enter again. Your single entry is valid for the final drawing. The last Vax-a-Million winners will be revealed at 7:29 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23. The deadline to enter, however, is 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, June 20.
“With one Ohio Vax-a-Million drawing remaining, I urge Ohioans who have yet to get the COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated and continue Ohio’s progress moving beyond this pandemic,” Gov. DeWine said in a press release.
Here's how the drawing works: Each person who enters is assigned a unique number. A computer then randomly picks one of those numbers as the winner. State officials then verify the winner's eligibility -- including proof of vaccination.
“With more than 5.3 million Ohioans who have started the vaccination process, not all who are eligible have entered,” state officials said. “Ohio Vax-a-Million is an opt-in program, meaning you are not automatically entered.”
You can enter the Vax-a-Million lottery HERE.
Gov. DeWine launched the Vax-a-Million COVID vaccine lottery last month as a way to give Ohioans an incentive for vaccinations. He teased last week that more vaccine incentives are in the works.
“We hope to announce some additional prizes and different additional things that the private sector and businesses are going to be donating," he said.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
RELATED: Meet Ohio's third Vax-a-Million winners: Sara Afaneh of Sheffield Lake and Mark Cline of Richwood
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