Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced Saturday that, in an effort to increase youth inoculations, the city will be giving away AirPods, gift cards and thousands of dollars in scholarship funds to kids ages 12-17.
Bowser tweeted that the kids who receive their first COVID-19 vaccine at one of the three sites she listed would get either a set of AirPods or a $51 gift card, a reference to the district's efforts to make D.C. the 51st state.
The D.C. youth would also be entered in a drawing for a chance to win $25,000 in scholarship money or an iPad and headphones.
Starting today at 10 am, DC youth (12-17) who get vaccinated at:
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@MayorBowser) August 7, 2021
??Brookland MS
??Sousa MS
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Will receive AirPods with their first shot and a chance to win a:
??$25,000 scholarship
??iPad and headphones#TakeTheShotDC pic.twitter.com/BIAH7Hgs7m
Bowser joins several state and local leaders who have offered incentives to residents in an effort to increase vaccination numbers.
West Virginia announced in June that the state would give out trucks, guns and up to $1 million in cash prizes through a lottery system to vaccinated residents.
Washington state has previously offered free joints and booze to any adult who receives their coronavirus vaccine.
Ohio, Michigan and Maryland are among the other states to offer cash prize drawings to those who receive their shot.
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About 70 percent of D.C. have already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. However, the city has still seen a rise in new COVID-19 cases due to the new highly infectious delta variant.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that D.C. saw 128 new cases on Friday, a drastic increase from the single-digit and low double-digit numbers of new cases of late June and early July.
Bowser reinstated the district's indoor mask mandate last week after the CDC updated its guidance to recommend vaccinated individuals wear face coverings indoors in areas of high transmission.
The mayor then violated her new mask mandate the same day it went into effect as photos surfaced of her maskless at an indoor wedding reception last weekend.
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