Lottery is off the table but vaccine incentives are still being discussed

Although a state-sponsored lottery offering a chance at prizes for those who get vaccinated against COVID-19 has been deemed a violation of the Utah Constitution, some sort of incentives may still happen. In a COVID update during his monthly news conference on PBS Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox said, “I think there is a possibility.” He confirmed that he was in discussions with Utah Legislature’s Republican leadership on the subject despite lawmakers’ initial reluctance to support giveaways.

Incentives, including lotteries, are being offered in at least 24 states, Cox said.

Vaccinations in the state have lagged in recent weeks, putting in jeopardy the state’s goal of having 70 percent of Utah adults receive the vaccine by July 4. Cox also expressed concern about the spread of the so-called “delta variant” of the disease which has seen an increase in cases in the state recently.

“The delta variant is here. We believe that the delta variant is growing,” Cox said. He added that virtually all COVID-19 case now being reported are among the unvaccinated.

“I do think that we ought to find a way to encourage people to get vaccinated, so we’re having those discussions,” Utah Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, told the Deseret News concerning proposed incentives. He said there’s concern the state now has “more vaccines than we have appointments. We have the ability to vaccinate people that aren’t coming.”

“The answer, as always, is to get vaccinated,” said Cox. “There are people younger than age 50 in our hospitals right now on oxygen. These are people with no prior health conditions and they can’t breath well enough on their own and are requiring hospitalization because they are not vaccinated. It’s very sad.We have had conversations with legislative leadership around the potential for some sort of incentive or inducement for people to get the vaccination. “There hasn’t been much interest in that, but it is correct that we continue to have those discussions.”