In an effort to get New York schoolchildren vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced a new vaccine incentive that will enter kids into a lottery to receive a full-ride scholarship to a SUNY or CUNY institution for college.
The 'Vaccinate. Education. Graduate.' plan is available to kids ages 5 to 11 who get vaccinated in New York. The state will select 50 names from a list and provide them with a full ride to a SUNY or CUNY institution for college.
"Tuition. Fees. Room and board. The whole nine yards," Hochul said.
The winners will be announced over the course of five weeks, November 22 to December 20.
More than 350 New York school districts have indicated that they plan to host vaccine events for kids, Hochul said. The state has is ready to administer 700,000 vaccine doses to children, including 300,000 in New York City.
The city began vaccinating children as part of the vaccine drive on Monday, giving out more than 4,500 shots.
Mayor de Blasio said Tuesday that in total, about 24,000 schoolchildren had gotten their shot since the vaccines became available late-last week.
Officials are encouraged with the pace at which kids are getting vaccinated early on, noting that about 3.6 percent of eligible NYC kids got a dose within 36 hours of the CDC giving the OK.