MSNBC analyst Claire McCaskill suggested a “prize drawing” to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky as a way to encourage vaccinations during a Wednesday interview.
“Have you guys seriously considered working with not-for-profit or other health organizations to maybe provide some kind of prize drawing for people who come and get their vaccination at this point?” McCaskill said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Nearly 150 million people in the country have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine while over 106 million are completely vaccinated, according to CDC data.
“Doctor, you know, this is America, where everyone wants a Groupon, coupon or they want to compete for a prize,” McCaskill said.
McCaskill suggested money or “a coupon for a free Big Mac” as possible prizes.
“Have you guys thought about that? Because it seems to me sometimes the carrot in the United States of America is more effective than the stick,” McCaskill said.
Walensky said the CDC has “a cohort of over 5,000 community core organizations that are working with people” collaborating with professional sports leagues, including NASCAR, to find out whether people would have a possible interest “to meet sports figures.”
“Not everybody will want a carrot. Some people want a different carrot than others, some might want a Big Mac, some might want a coupon to a pharmacy,” Walensky said. “So we are working with individual communities to understand what might best speak to those communities and doing our best to make sure that we can.”
The CDC’s recently updated guidance recommends that people who are completely vaccinated don’t have to wear a mask outside, unless “in certain crowded settings and venues.” People qualify as “fully vaccinated” two weeks after getting Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose-vaccine or both vaccine doses from either Pfizer or Moderna, the CDC guidance said.
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the intention to have 70% of American adults get at least one vaccine dose, with the deadline being July 4, NPR reported.
The president said he wants 160 million American adults to be completely vaccinated by July 4, according to The Wall Street Journal. 100 million shots would need to be administered during the upcoming 60 days in order to meet the goal, Biden said.
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