Who wants to be a millionaire? Take a COVID shot and take a shot at winning $1M

To those who say getting a COVID vaccination just "isn't worth it," Louisiana says: "Does winning $1 million make it worth it?"

To try to pull Louisiana out of the cellar dwellers in the nation's COVID vaccination effort, Gov. John Bel Edwards implemented a lottery with cash prizes and scholarships to be awarded to state residents who have received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine. Louisiana ranks 47th in the nation in the percent of its population who have been vaccinated.

Edwards said he hopes this works as well for Louisiana as it has for other states, such as California, Kentucky and Ohio.

The prizes for children ages 12-17 include nine $100,000 scholarships. Those 18 and over will be eligible for a $1 million grand prize and four $100,000 cash prizes.

The $2.3 million in cash prizes and scholarships is funded with federal COVID outreach dollars. There will be prize drawings every week for five weeks, beginning July 14.

Those who have already received a vaccination, or who get one during the contest period, can enter the lottery online at shotatamillion.com or by calling 1-877-356-1511. Registration opens at noon Monday (June 21).

There will be one $100,000 scholarship and a $100,000 cash prize awarded in each of the four weekly drawings. Winners of the $1 million prize and five $100,000 scholarships will be drawn in the grand prize drawing on Aug. 4.

Deadline is July 9 for the July 14 drawing, July 16 for the July 21 drawing, July 23 for the July 28 drawing, July 30 for the Aug. 4 drawing and July 31 for the Aug. 4 grand prize drawing.

Edwards said more people need to receive the COVID vaccinations "before we can truly end the pandemic." He said the lottery campaign is a "reward for those who've already gotten vaccinated and a fun nudge for others to get the vaccine sooner rather than later."

The lottery is just the latest "weapon" in the war on COVID -- a war that Avoyelles Parish seems to be winning, based on recent reports from the state health department.

In Friday's COVID update, Avoyelles had no net gain in new cases out of 198 test results reviewed. There was one positive out of five rapid result tests but the state subtracted a positive result from the parish's lab test results. That left Avoyelles with a pandemic total of 4,334 cases and 123 deaths since March 2020. The state's totals as of Friday were 477,453 cases and 10,688 deaths.