More and more people are getting vaccinated against the horrific COVID-19 virus, but a few of them actually managed to get rewarded with free flights for a whole year for doing so.
Ashley Cronkhite, a woman from Bradenton, Florida, is certainly planning her future vacations as she was one of the five winners of a contest held by United Airlines.
The American airline came up with the “Your Shot to Fly” sweepstake as an incentive to get people to get vaccinated, but only the airline’s loyalty members were able to participate.
Captain CJ Charlton from United Airlines during a video call with Ashley Cronkhite | Photo: Twitter.com/united
GREAT PRIZES
The only thing they had to do was upload a photo of their vaccine card to the app and the website and pray to get picked. A total of 30 first-prize winners were chosen, but only 5 were lucky enough to get the grand prize.
While the first group earned a pair of roundtrip tickets to anywhere United Airlines flies, the second was granted the chance of flying anywhere in the world for the next year.
Much like the other 4 winners, Cronkhite was over the moon when she was told that she would be able to visit all the places she dreamed of, such as Ireland and Italy.
Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO, claimed that they were proud to do their part “to encourage more Americans to get their shot” and were thrilled by the overwhelming response that they received. He added:
“This prize clearly struck an emotional chord with our customers, as the opportunity to travel and connect with people and places that matter most is something that clearly has been missed during the pandemic.”
Woman with luggage standing at in front of a check-in counter at the airport terminal during the Covid-19 pandemic | Photo: Shutterstock
INCENTIVE IS KEY
According to United Airlines, over 1 million people entered the contest, and Kirby took the opportunity to thank every single one of them for trying their luck and for making the decision to get vaccinated.
In Michigan, folks are also being encouraged to get their shot against the virus through the “MI Shot To Win” COVID-19 vaccine lottery, having the chance to win $50,000.
Recently 10 more Michiganders snatched the prize, with the winnings being part of nearly $5 million in cash prizes and college scholarships as incentives to get people to get vaccinated.
The goal is to achieve a vaccination rate of 70% for those aged 16 and up, but so far, only 63% of the population within that range has received at least one dose of the available vaccines.
TWO VACCINES IN ONE DAY
When getting vaccinated, it is very important to follow instructions, especially the period of time between doses. A man by the name of Victor Smith almost died after getting two vaccines within hours.
It was a mix-up for the 91-year-old, who started exhibiting signs of respiratory distress after the second vaccine. Luckily, he received immediate medical attention and made a full recovery.