Alberta launches $4m lottery to promote Covid-19 vaccination

The Canadian province of Alberta has launched a vaccination lottery to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Canada.- After the success of vaccination lotteries in many US states, the idea has been taken up by the Canadian proviince of Alberta.

Premier Jason Kenney revealed details of the “Open for Summer Vaccine Lottery” in a video posted to his Twitter account.

The video, shot at a mass immunization centre in Edmonton, shows Kenney lamenting the lack of crowds at the facility and saying that not enough Alberta residents were seeking protection against Covid-19.

The premier says: “We need to just nudge those who haven’t gotten around to getting their vaccines yet. After all, we’ve had to spend billions of dollars in our health-care system and through supporting people through the past 16 tough months.

“So if we can just keep pushing up those numbers of people who are vaccinated, that will easily pay for itself in future savings.”

The lottery will offer three prizes of $1m, and other unspecified prizes. Kenney says the first instalment will be open to Albertans aged 18 or older who have at least their first vaccine dose within a week of the day the province partially immunises 70 per cent of the population.

He said the first prize draw would take place the day the province enters Phase 3 of its pandemic recovery plan, adding that more details will be announced in the coming days.