Philadelphia’s experiment to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 has brought rewards to the top 12 winners of the city’s ongoing lottery, providing vaccinated city residents with cash prizes ranging from US$1,000 to US$50,000 .

City officials announced on Friday that one of the winners of the two $50,000 prizes was Daniel Silva, a 53-year-old Oak Lane resident, who said he had been hesitant to get the vaccine.

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related: Here is how to participate in the Philadelphia COVID-19 vaccination raffle and what prizes you can get

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Silva said at a press conference with city officials on Friday: “I was hesitant to get the vaccination at first, and I even withdrew from my first appointment.” “My doctor and partner encouraged me to make arrangements. On the second date, I decided to do the same. I went to Central City and got the first and second shots. I got the shots because my health is the most important thing, because it’s doing the right thing. I I believe that by doing the right things, good things will continue to flow. Look at my current situation!”

Silva explained that his income is limited due to his disability, but the award will help him manage his finances with less pressure.

“This award alleviates my worries about what I will do tomorrow, or whether I have enough money to pay for a certain fee. My parents died when I was 6 years old, and since then, I have been trying to climb the ladder instead of putting it down. It. I know this money will help me take the next step towards this stability.”

The winner of the second $50,000 prize requested anonymity, and Philadelphia officials only described him as a mechanic living in West Philadelphia.

This Philadelphia Vax Lucky Draw Includes three scheduled drawings, the first of which was held on Monday. The next two draws will be held on July 6th and July 19th. For each draw, two Philadelphia residents will win $50,000, four will win $5,000, and the other six will win $1,000. The total bonus for this coronavirus vaccination reward program is US$400,000.

To be eligible, a person must have a current Philadelphia address, be at least 18 years old, and be vaccinated against COVID-19 at least once before each draw.To ensure that it is included in the drawing, please register online at the following website phillyvaxsweepstakes.com.

Half of the 12 winners of the first draw live in the city’s postal code 19126. For each drawing, the city will choose an area with a lower COVID-19 vaccination rate in the city and provide residents there with a better chance of winning. For the first lottery draw, people living in the 19126 postal code were about 100 times more likely to win the prize.

Each of the three drawings will have a selected zip code to increase the chances of the lottery.

Officials said that for the July 6 draw, residents of North Philadelphia with the postcode 19133 will have a better chance—this time the chance is about 60 times. The zip code includes parts of the hunting park and West Kensington.

Officials said a Philadelphia resident who was selected to receive a $1,000 bonus was not eligible to receive the money because he was not vaccinated. The raffle includes all adult Philadelphia residents, which means that those who have not been vaccinated may find that they have missed their chance to win money.

Funding for the Philadelphia Vax sweepstakes was provided by the Wharton School of Business; Penn’s Behavior Change for Good Initiative; University of Pennsylvania Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics; and the Influenza Laboratory.

“Although it is too early to tell whether the sweepstakes has significantly increased vaccination rates, based on evidence that lotteries can inspire change, people are optimistic that sweepstakes will help more Philadelphians get vaccinated,” the co-director Angela Duckworth said. The Wharton School’s “Behavior Change for Good” program.

Philadelphia announced this week that the city has passed the milestone of 70% of adult residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine. Philadelphia lifted the remaining COVID-19 restrictions earlier this month.

Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole said that there is now greater urgency to vaccinate the remaining city residents because Delta variant of coronavirus, The evidence shows that it is easier to spread.

Bettigole said: “Since winter, it has been a goal of the health department to get everyone in Philadelphia vaccinated against COVID.” “But now we are seeing that in states with low vaccination rates, more and more people have changed because of Delta. The body was infected with COVID — and more people were hospitalized there because of it — so more importantly, everyone in Philadelphia must not only be vaccinated, but also be sure to get a second dose as soon as possible.”