The White House announced in Washington on Friday that nine major dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid wanted to introduce incentives for vaccinated people to support the government’s vaccination goals. Users should be able to indicate in their profiles if they have received a vaccination or can search specifically for vaccinated dating partners. Tinder also wants to provide information on nearby vaccination centers. Several states are giving away cash prizes to vaccinated people.
Overall, the US has vaccinated at a rapid pace over the past few months. Almost half of the total population (a good 48 percent) has now been given at least one injection, and a good 38 percent are fully vaccinated. The numbers are significantly higher among senior citizens.
More matches thanks to vaccination
In view of widespread vaccination skepticism, the pace of the campaign has recently slowed down. The government is now looking at younger people, among whom there are still many who have not been vaccinated. Andy Slavitt, high-ranking Corona advisor to the White House, said it was important to pick up younger people where they are – for example when dating. Many younger people are not against vaccination per se. They just haven’t made this a priority so far.
The White House stated that, according to an investigation by the dating platform OkCupid, users who have already been vaccinated or who plan to do so receive 14 percent more positive dating feedback (“matches”). Slavitt said: “We have finally found the one thing that makes us all more attractive: a vaccination.”
One million dollars raffled off
In order to convince undecided or doubters, several states are now also luring with lottery prizes for vaccinated people. After Ohio, Maryland and New York also announced such incentives on Thursday. The east coast state of Maryland started a lottery totaling two million US dollars – the equivalent of around 1.8 million Swiss francs. From this money pot, 40,000 dollars a day will be raffled for 40 days – among all adult residents of the state who have received at least one vaccination. At the end of the event, a one-time raffle of 400,000 US dollars will be made.
In New York, on the other hand, adult citizens are supposed to get free lottery tickets with a vaccination, with which they have the prospect of winnings between $ 20 and $ 5 million. Ohio had already launched a lottery in mid-May: for five weeks, a million dollars will be raffled there every week among citizens who have received at least their first vaccination.
Vaccinations without making an appointment
US President Joe Biden (78) has set the goal that by Independence Day on July 4, around 70 percent of all around 260 million adults in the country should have received at least the first vaccination. So far it’s about 60 percent.
Slavitt said that in order to convince as many unvaccinated people as possible to use a syringe, the procedure would be made as easy as possible. In the meantime there are vaccinations in many places without prior appointment. Taxi competitors Uber and Lyft offer free rides to vaccination appointments. Employers give their employees some paid time off for a vaccination appointment. And various companies also offer small incentives for those who have been vaccinated: free drinks or snacks, vouchers, free entry to museums and the like. (SDA / bra)
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