All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

State officials release additional details on vaccine lottery giveaway

CHARLESTON — During Tuesday’s briefing, Gov. Jim Justice provided additional details on his new vaccine incentive lottery that will begin on June 20th and run through August 4th.

The giveaway will include a $1.588 million grand prize, a $588,000 second prize, full scholarships to any higher education institution in West Virginia, custom-outfitted trucks, weekend vacations at state parks, lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, custom hunting rifles and custom hunting shotguns.

Justice said the push to get more West Virginians vaccinated is crucial in not only saving lives, but saving the state from the financial impact of continued hospitalizations and prolonged vaccine clinics.

“The faster we get people across the finish line the more lives we save. That’s all there is to it,” Justice said. “If the tab just keeps running the cost is enormous. The hospitalizations are enormous. We have to get all of our folks across the finish line.”

West Virginians who have been fully vaccinated will need to register to be entered to win the prizes. A registration website will soon be available and will be announced by the Governor at a press briefing.

Also on Tuesday, Justice announced today that as of this morning a total of 75% of West Virginians 50 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, hitting the goal a full 19 days ahead of schedule.

Justice offered a reminder of his recent announcement that online registration is now open for his “Beat 588…Bad” West Virginia Strong Vaccine Incentive Program.

All West Virginians ages 16-35 who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are now able to register online to receive either a $100 savings bond or a $100 gift card.

The $100 incentive is retroactive, meaning all West Virginians ages 16-35 who have received the COVID-19 vaccine at any point are eligible.

Since registration first opened, a grand total of 20,527 registrations have been submitted.

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