The Needle And The Contest Won

I'm thinking there should be a new malady associated with the pandemic. Let's call it "Covidnesia," for the tendency of some people to be slightly forgetful when it comes to the details of the pandemic that, might I remind you, has killed 590,000 Americans - so far.

Why I worry about people's memories is that they seem to forget that when the first vaccines came out around Christmas time, people were fairly clamoring to get theirs. Oh, how they hollered, and lined up, and called their cousin's ex-girlfriend's mother-in-law who used to be the Chief Admitting Nurse at Rick Springfield General Hospital to try to get in line. People were even willing to lie about their eligibility, just to get their pfix of Pfizer or their jolt of Johnson and Johnson.

Well, that was then, this is wow. Because from January, there has been a great diminution of demand for COVID vaccine. Not only that, but also, demand has gone way down!

And for all the public yakety-yak about how we'll be fine when we reach herd immunity (also known as "heard" immunity in some quarters), that takes having 70% of the public take the needles. Maryland isn't there yet, and do we think people will still come and get in line?

We do not, which is why affable Maryland governor Lawrence "Hulk" Hogan announced a new gimmick for Maryland residents - it's a chance to snag some serious moolah just for getting the free vaccine that might save your life.

So for this, people need to be paid?

The Maryland Department of Health and the Maryland Lottery have teamed up to create a new sub-lottery.

Beginning tomorrow, May 25, there will be a daily drawing with a prize of $40,000. The excitement doesn't abate until it reaches a crescendo on July 4, when the big winner will walk away with the grand prize of $400,000.

“Entry is very simple — all you have to do is get vaccinated here in Maryland, be a Maryland resident and be 18 or older,” Hogan said.

If you've already had the vax, you're entered, don't worry.  And the Director of Maryland Lottery and Gaming, Gordon Medenica, says it's all being  handled anonymously, so don't sweat about your personal info being used inappropriately. They are setting up a number string on a spreadsheet with name and contact info for each person who got the needle(s).

Hogan, always the master sloganeer, says, “Remember Marylanders: Get your shot for a shot to win. That’s a good line.”

The best news of all is that the prize loot is not coming from the Lottery prize bank, but, rather, from their promotional budget, which will mean fewer corny lottery ads on TV!

And that makes us all winners already!