Promo created by Governor Sisolak

A Las Vegas man has won the $1m jackpot in the “Vax Nevada Days” promotion created by Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak to encourage state residents to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

At an event hosted at the Las Vegas Convention Center, by satellite from Reno, and livestreamed, Governor Sisolak called out prize winners by their first names, followed by their last initial. Sisolak took to Twitter on August 27 to announce the $1m winner, Halim P.:

According to KNTV Las Vegas, two students from Las Vegas each won a $50,000 tuition prize. Friday’s ceremony marked the end of the $5m public health drive designed to incentivize Nevadans to get vaccinated.

Nevada health data revealed an approximate 10% increase in vaccinated state residents between the day the promotion went live in mid-June and its finale on Thursday.

Nevada Congresswoman Dina Titus (D) joined Sisolak and prize winners at the convention center on Thursday night. In a tweet, she said getting vaccinated was the “best shot we have to return to normal and get our economy back on track.”

Sisolak, also a Democrat, encouraged residents to still get vaccinated even though the promotional initiative had concluded.

Promotion raises percentages

According to reports on August 27, around half of Nevada’s approximately 3.1 million residents aged 12 or over had gotten at least one vaccination by June 17. At that time, almost 43% were fully vaxxed.

The fully inoculated figure climbed to nearly 51%.

At the end of the shots promotion, which was bankrolled by?federal coronavirus relief funds, the state’s at-least-one-shot percentage had risen to 61%. The fully inoculated figure climbed to nearly 51%.

At Thursday’s ceremony, Sisolak stated that almost all of the people being hospitalized in Nevada for coronavirus are unvaccinated. He added that the illnesses were preventable and cited health experts and scientists as saying “vaccines are the only way we will end this pandemic once and for all.”

Nevada follows suit

Nevada followed the lead of other states, including Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, and New York, in introducing multimillion dollar lottery promotions to boost vaccinations.

Sisolak used Twitter to thank those that participated in the “Vax Nevada Days” promotion:

As Halim P. stepped up to receive his check for $1m, he brought an end to the two-month scheme that saw nearly 2,000 Nevadans walk away with prizes.