A Shot At $2,500: Here's NYC's Latest COVID Vaccine Incentive

NEW YORK CITY — A shot at winning $2,500 awaits New Yorkers who roll up their sleeves for the coronavirus vaccine.

Unvaccinated New York City dwellers who get doses at city-run vaccination sites have a chance to win one of 10 cash-filled debit cards every week through July, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced.

“I think the vast majority of New Yorkers could really use $2,500 right now,” he said.

The contest is the city's latest incentive designed to convince unvaccinated people to join the growing ranks of vaccinated New Yorkers.

More than 70 percent of adults statewide have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine — a milestone that prompted Gov. Andrew Cuomo to lift remaining state-imposed pandemic restrictions.

But New York City is slightly behind the state's mark and several areas have vaccination rates that are much lower. A ZIP Code covering Edgemere and Far Rockaway, for instance, has only 33.5 percent of residents who received at least one dose of vaccine, according to city data.

De Blasio acknowledged the city still has work to do, despite the fact it has distributed 8.83 million total vaccine doses and average COVID-19 positivity stands at a pandemic-low of 0.57 percent.

"That's a reason to double down, do even more to get people vaccinated," he said.

New Yorkers can enter the $2,500 contest by getting a shot at a city-run vaccination site. Ten winners a week through July will receive the prize on debit cards.

More information on city vaccinations can be found at vax4nyc.nyc.gov.