Just when West Virginians may have thought they’d seen the last of the prizes Babydog had to offer, Gov. Jim Justice announced a new round of vaccine incentives Friday.
The announcement came during his most recent COVID-19 briefing and is the latest attempt to encourage residents get their shots. With the Delta variant causing surges across the country, including in the Mountain State, and infecting more young people, Justice said he and his team wanted to do more to help put West Virginians — especially young ones — in those vaccine clinic chairs.
Registration for residents with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine starts Aug. 23 at doitforbabydog.wv.gov. Individuals who registered for the first round of prizes must register again.
Justice said the goal of the prizes is to get younger people vaccinated. According to the state Department of Health and Human Resources, 42.6% of people aged 21-25 are vaccinated. The next lowest age group, 16-20, is slightly more vaccinated at 43.5%. The youngest age group, 12-15, is only 32% vaccinated.
The Dominion Post spoke to residents of Kingwood and students at West Virginia University about their thoughts on the vaccine and the Do It For Babydog lottery. No one The Dominion Post spoke to, vaccinated or not, said he or she was convinced to get the shot because of the prizes offered in either round of Do It For Babydog.
“I don’t see really any point. I’m not scared,” Carson Shifflett, 21, of Reedsville, said. “I really, I mean, I think it’s a good incentive for people who are in that population who are affected a lot by it, but I’m not. I mean, I’m young. I’m healthy.”
The second round of Do It For Babydog prizes did not change Shifflett’s mind. He said he won’t get the vaccine “unless it starts getting more and more dangerous. I don’t see any point to it.”
Bruce Wiley, 73, of Kingwood, said the lottery is a waste of tax dollars that could be better spent elsewhere. During the briefing, Justice estimated the cost of the prizes for this round at $6 million to $8 million.
“We can put that money to better use on our roads or schools, or parks and recreation. I totally, totally, don’t understand,” Wiley said. “I’ve had both my shots. I don’t understand why people don’t want to be vaccinated when it’s out there when it saves lives.”
WVU freshman Mikinzi Casto, 17, of Charleston, said she wasn’t aware of the second round of prizes but that the first round had no impact on her decision to get vaccinated.
“It had no influence, because I wanted to get vaccinated just because I definitely believe it works,” Casto said. “And it will help us get back to functioning as we were before COVID. So, I’m all for the vaccine.”
James Haas, 21, of Charleston, also said Do It For Babydog didn’t influence him to get vaccinated. Haas did register to try and win prizes in the first round since he was already vaccinated and “I might as well.” He also plans to enter the second round.
Haas said he doesn’t personally know anyone who was influenced by the prizes.
Karen Stone, 56, of Kingwood, said the first round of prizes for Do It For Babydog “almost” convinced her to get vaccinated. Stone said she hasn’t gotten the vaccine out of “fear” of the side effects. She didn’t know what it would take to convince her to agree to the shot.
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