Officials will draw the next $1 million winner from the pool of eligible North Carolinians who've received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose as of Sunday, July 4. However, the incentive of a lump sum payout is not swaying people to line up for their shots.
The data shows North Carolina's birth rate fell by 3.1%, which is still above the national average that declined by 3.8%. One reason for the lack new population growth could be due to the timing of the pandemic coming early in 2020. A little over 100,000 live births were record in the state last year, down from 118,000 in 2019.
The first of four drawings scheduled over the next two months. A random winner was chosen by a number generator matched up to their date of birth, according to state officials. NC's Department of Health and Human Services will determine who the person is before the state deems if they're eligible for the seven-figure payout.
Cooper noted that similar lottery drawings in other states have propped up their vaccination efforts over the past three weeks. He hopes the same will happen in North Carolina considering the state is near the bottom half for doses administered in the nation. The first drawing is on June 23 with the finale on August 4.
“We are currently focusing on prioritizing the in-state inventory of vaccine by using a first-in, first-out strategy so that providers use vaccines by date of expiration in chronological order, as well as transferring vaccine between providers who can use them,” the NCDHHS said in an email to the AP on Friday.
In North Carolina, the figures are below the national average with 35.3% of the population fully vaccinated. A difference of 8% over the past month. As it stands currently, the state will surpass two-third of the adult population fully vaccinated by the middle of September.
“This pandemic has brought us a once-in-a-generation challenge. These funds have brought us a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Let’s use them to make transformational change for our state,” Cooper said at a news conference. ”We’re building a bridge from response to recovery.”
A total of 45,085 new cases were reported yesterday across the nation. A seven-month low before a rise at the end of last year that left thousands of Americans dead. Despite an overwhelming surge of cases in countries like India and Brazil, the U.S. still leads the world with over 579,000 deaths since last March.
"With increasing vaccinations and ongoing work to slow the spread, I anticipate we'll be able to lift all mandatory social distancing, capacity & mass gathering restrictions by June 1. I plan to issue an Executive Order next week outlining safety restrictions for the month of May," Cooper said.
About 7 million people have received the single-shot vaccine in the United States. And out of those people, six have reportedly experienced cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) blood clots as of Tuesday morning. "Right now, these adverse events appear to be extremely rare," the agencies added.
