Ohio Gov. DeWine defends decision to offer millions in federal pandemic relief dollars as vaccine incentive (video)

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - In what is now one of the most notable incentives to get the vaccine, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that five people who received at least one shot will be awarded a $1 million prize.

According to the governor, the state will draw the name of one Ohio vaccine recipient once a week, for five weeks. That person will then receive $1 million.

Ohio Gov. DeWine appeared on CBS This Morning on Thursday, where he defended his use of $5 million in federal pandemic relief as an incentive.

“I know I’ll be criticized. I know that there will be some people that will say that’s a waste,” Gov. DeWine explained. “What I think is a waste is when we have a vaccine that will save a life and someone still gets the COVID and dies because they have not been vaccinated. That’s what the waste is.”

“No one has tried this, and we just thought it was worth to try this to do it,” the governor added.

The weekly drawings will begin on May 26.

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