Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine has teamed up with local businesses in the state to offer enormous financial incentives to anyone who will get vaccinated for COVID-19, even as the health risks associated with the vaccines continue to be questioned.
On Wednesday, DeWine said the state would be removing “all pandemic health orders,” except for those related to nursing homes and assisted-living facilities. Lifting these orders, according to DeWine, increases the need for all Ohioans over the age of 12 to get vaccinated as soon as possible. DeWine announced that local businesses have offered incentives for individuals who receive one of the available COVID vaccines. This includes discounted tickets for certain events, free food, scholarship opportunities, and even cash.
“The @Reds and @Indians are offering discounts on tickets to their games,” DeWine wrote on Twitter. “With a vaccine, @WhiteCastle is offering free butter cakes on a stick. @Kroger is offering employees $100 in cash. We need more businesses to offer these kinds of incentives.”
In an effort to encourage children ages 12 to 17 to get vaccinated, State of Ohio Universities will also be running weekly drawings for individuals in that age group to win free scholarships, which will include tuition, room, board, and books.
“On May 18th, an electronic portal will be opened up for young people who have been vaccinated to be able to register,” he continued. “We will do this every Wednesday, for five straight Wednesdays — each time randomly selecting one student to receive the full, four-year scholarship.”
DeWine tweeted that the first winner will be announced on May 26.
The incentive comes as U.S. health advisers endorsed the use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in children as young as 12, WTOL 11 reported. DeWine seized on this in his address and said this age group can begin getting their shots this week, as children’s hospitals and pediatricians are working to make the vaccine available to young patients.
“These vaccines for our kids cannot come soon enough,” DeWine said.
Additionally, the state will be funding a separate drawing for adults who have received at least their first dose of the vaccine, DeWine said. Beginning on Wednesday, May 26, and taking place weekly for five weeks, names will be drawn from the state’s voter registration database, as well as from a separate webpage created for adults who are not registered to vote, and the winners will each receive one million dollars.
“The Ohio Department of Health will be the sponsoring agency for the drawings, and the Ohio Lottery will conduct them. The money will come from existing federal Coronavirus Relief Funds,” DeWine explained. “To be eligible to win, you must be at least 18 years of age or older on the day of the drawing. You must be an Ohio resident. And, you must be vaccinated before the drawing. We will have further, specific details tomorrow and in the days ahead.”
And while the incentives are certainly preferable to mandatory vaccines and vaccine passports — after all, since these drawings are entirely voluntary — there still seems to be some ethical ambiguity to virtually “bribing” desperate residents to engage in behavior that may not be entirely healthy.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the vaccinations with “emergency use authorizations,” which means they are still in trial phases and are not yet qualified for licensing from the FDA. The FDA states that vaccines approved this way are “investigational” and requires that “promotional material relating to the COVID-19 Vaccine clearly and conspicuously … state that this product has not been approved or licensed by the FDA, but has been authorized for emergency use by FDA.”
The FDA states that individuals who receive the vaccines are required to be informed of the “significant known and potential benefits and risks of such use, and of the extent to which such benefits and risks are unknown.”
Sadly, the Ohio Department of Health’s website on the state’s vaccine program downplays the inherent risks associated with the COVID vaccines, particularly the “Myths vs. Facts COVID-19 Vaccine” page, which states the vaccines are “safe and effective,” were not “rushed and developed too quickly,” will not “alter” DNA or genetic makeup, will not “cause infertility or other serious medical problems,” and will protect Ohioans from new strains of the virus.
These assertions ignore the growing evidence that the COVID vaccines have resulted in serious injuries and even thousands of deaths. Life Site News reports the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) already shows more than 44,000 reports of injury and death after use of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s vaccines.
And in an interview with The New American last month, Dr. Peter McCullough, a professor of medicine who developed a successful COVID treatment protocol, said the thousands of deaths related to the COVID shots reported to VAERS have been wholly ignored.
But none of this information was included in DeWine’s incentives announcement.
With the promise of more information related to the contests to come, DeWine defended his million-dollar drawings on Wednesday.
“I know that some may say, DeWine, you’re crazy! This million-dollar drawing idea of yours is a waste of money.’ But truly, the real waste at this point in the pandemic — when the vaccine is readily available to anyone who wants it — is a life lost to COVID-19,” DeWine said.
