Adults opting to get vaccinations at CVS pharmacies at Target stores in the US will receive a $5 store voucher, the companies announced on Tuesday.
People can get their coronavirus shot at most of their CVS branches, of which there are more than 600 across the country.
It’s just one prong of a multi-front effort to promote people to get their jabs, and the Target initiative follows their company-wide support for the national vaccination programme.
In March, Target, whose head office is in Minneapolis, Minnesota, said they were pairing up with CVS pharmacy to assist in the effort to vaccinate America in the fight against the pandemic. Currently, the US death toll stands at more than 578,000 people.
It is not the first programme of its kind, as similar efforts exist to make getting vaccinated more appealing. Krispy Kreme is offering a free doughnut to those who had already had their first dose. All you need to do is bring your card proving you had been vaccinated. Other incentive schemes from companies included cannabis dispensaries offering a complimentary pre-rolled joint, such as Michigan’s Greenhouse of Walled Lake.
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Other incentive programmes are simply offering cold, hard cash. West Virginia’s governor Jim Justice is vowing to give $100 saving bonds to people 35 and younger who get their vaccination, one of the most generous moves of its kind.
“Now what we know is... our young people have a real reluctancy to absolutely step up because they think they’re invincible,” Mr Justice said to CNBC on Monday about the government-backed scheme. It is believed that the hesitancy stems from young people’s lower morality from COVID-19 however, though they have shown to be “tremendous transmitters of this, and by stepping up they’re going to save a lot of lives, too.”
West Virginia had strong vaccination numbers to begin with, but the rates have fallen since the age bracket extended to younger people.
“At some point in time, we all hit a wall, and that is where we are at right now,” Mr Justice continued. In his state, eligibility extended to those 16 and older in late March.
Currently, roughly 35 per cent of Americans between 18 to 29 have been given their first dose and an estimated 45 per cent of 30 to 39-year-olds have had theirs, according to the CDC.
“There’s always going to be a small population of people that just say, ‘Well, I’m not taking this, no matter what’ But really and truly, at the end of the day right now, the population is that’s still saying, ‘Well, I’d take it, but it’s a little inconvenient or the population of young people from 15 to 35 who think they are invincible, we’ve got to penetrate that,” Mr Justice said.
Mr Justice said that he intended to get 70 per cent of his state inoculated against coronavirus. According to data from the state’s health department published on Monday, 44 per cent have had one dose and 36 per cent have had two.
