A photo posted on Facebook in South Africa in May 2021 shows a TV broadcasting CNN news. On the screen is a person drawing liquid from a vial into a syringe, and text that reads: “GET A COVID-19 VACCINE AND YOU COULD WIN A CAR”.
Comments on the post cast doubt whether the news is real, and Facebook’s fact-checking system has flagged it as possibly false.
Is there a competition where people who get vaccinated against Covid could win a car? We checked.
Shot for Shot Sweepstakes
CNN is a US-based news network.
A Google search for “get a Covid-19 vaccine and you could win a car” led to several news reports about attempts to curb vaccine hesitancy in the US, and increase vaccination rates.
According to the reports, Shelby county in the US state of Tennessee is offering any county resident who gets the Covid vaccine a chance of winning a new Chevy Camaro, Chevy Colorado, Nissan Rogue, Nissan Altima or similar vehicle of roughly the same value, in the Shot for Shot Sweepstakes.
Shelby county’s seat is the city of Memphis. The city’s website reports that the sweepstakes are “open to all Shelby county residents age 18 or older at the time of entry. Residents must show proof of vaccination, defined as receipt of one Covid-19 shot confirmed with the CDC immunisation record card.” The CDC is the US Centers for Disease Control.
The site quotes Memphis mayor Jim Strickland as saying: “It’s time to get back to business and that means we need as many people vaccinated as possible. In return, we want to reward those that are fighting with us for a vibrant healthy Memphis.”
Tesla up for grabs in New York
And in other reports, Dr Raul Vazquez of the Urban Family Practice in Buffalo, a city in the US state of New York, is running a raffle in which vaccinated people stand a chance of winning a 2021 Tesla model 3 valued at US$38,990.
“We have to try whatever we can because hesitancy is really bad,” Vazquez reportedly said.
Other offers to encourage vaccination and reduce hesitancy in the US include a $1 million lottery in the state of Ohio, as well as free beer, marijuana, doughnuts, savings bonds and more elsewhere in the country.
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