West Virginia will start trying to incentivize young people to get the COVID-19 vaccine by offering them a savings bond.
The state announced that individuals aged 16-35 will be given a $100 savings bond once they get their vaccine. Republican Gov. Jim Justice said on Monday that the plan was put in place to “jump-start” the demographic to get it.
“Our kids today probably don’t really realize just how important they are in shutting this thing down,” Justice said. “I’m trying to come up with a way that’s truly going to motivate them, and us, to get over the hump.”
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There are approximately 380,000 people within the age range, and the state government plans to use the money from the federal CARES Act to cover the costs of the bonds.
Justice explained that they chose to go with bonds over handing out cash, citing both the “patriotic” nature of savings bonds and because he wants younger individuals “to really see and understand that they’ve done something that’s really meaningful.”
Fifty-two percent of residents eligible for the vaccine have received at least one dose already, and 40.9% are fully immunized, according to the governor's office, who added that the mask mandate could be lifted if that number reaches 70%. According to Justice, if 80% of the people aged 16-35 got vaccinated, the state as a whole would likely eclipse the 70% threshold to end the mask requirement.
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“We need to move from our older population to our younger population,” Justice said. “The young people are the key right now.”
Throughout the country, the number of people fully vaccinated has ticked up to more than 95 million, with about 54% of U.S. adults having received at least one dose of vaccine to date.
