JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Data shows that most of the people who participated in Missouri's COVID-19 vaccine lottery were already immunized before the program started.
The incentive program was started in July as Missouri struggled to control a surge in cases driven by the more transmissible delta variant in less-vaccinated communities.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted the last of the drawings in the program Friday. Among the participants, 57,117 adults got the shot after the program was announced, while nearly 600,000 got the shot beforehand, The Kansas City Star reports.
The program also had more than 39,000 entries from children.
In total, the state will pay out $9 million to 900 prizewinners, who will each receive $10,000 in either cash or, for the youth winners, scholarship accounts.
Anyone who had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine was eligible to enter, but separate drawings were conducted for those who had already gotten a shot, making the odds of winning higher for the newly vaccinated.
Just over 48% of Missouri's total population is fully vaccinated, up from about 40% when the incentive program was announced.
Winners of the final round of the vaccine lottery will be announced on Oct. 20. If someone doesn't confirm their win, the prize will then go to another potential winner.
Here are the previous winners: