California officials have selected an alternate winner from last week’s COVID-19 vaccine lottery who lives in Sacramento County.
Fifteen winners were selected last week to each win $50,000 but officials had trouble locating two of the recipients.
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After several attempts at reaching the winners, who were from San Diego and Santa Clara counties, the state moved on to two alternates, California Department of Public Health spokesperson Sami Gallegos said.
Those winners live in Monterey County and Sacramento County.
“Contact with the alternates began immediately through phone, text and email and the state has been in touch with the Monterey winner,” Gallegos said. “The two originally drawn were notified in very explicit terms of Thursday’s deadline by which they would have forfeited their cash prize.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the lottery drawings to reward people who have already been vaccinated.
Another Sacramento resident won the latest $50,000 drawing on Friday.
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The state is also offering cash incentives to encourage more people in the state to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The $116.5 million vaccine incentive program, known as Vax for the Win, creates two money pots:
- $100 million in $50 prepaid or grocery cards for 2 million people who went and received a vaccine after the incentive program was announced in late May. About 1.25 million $50 incentive cards remain, as of Friday, officials said.
- $16.5 million in cash prizes for 40 winners
The cash prizes are available to those who are at least partially vaccinated.
Here is more information on how the lottery works.
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