ANNAPOLIS, Md. — For 40-year-old eldercare professional Santana Portillo Dominguez, getting her COVID-19 vaccine was a simple decision due to her line of work.
“The patients at the center were isolated because of the pandemic, so our jobs became more important,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez said that the care she provides at an area senior living center took on extra meaning when pandemic restrictions forced the facility to close to the public, preventing residents’ families from visiting. When workers at her facility were encouraged to receive the vaccine early this year, she sought it out immediately.
“Some co-workers were unsure, but I wasn’t going to be afraid to get vaccinated,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez, the winner in Maryland's June 12 VaxCash lottery drawing, became eligible for the $40,000 prize when she received her COVID-19 vaccination at the beginning of the year.
Although it wasn’t her motivation for getting a COVID-19 shot, Dominguez now has a $40,000 prize as a result of her decision to protect herself and others.
Back on May 20, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, in partnership with the Maryland Lottery, announced that the state will give away $2 million in prizes to anyone in the state who has received a COVID-19 vaccine.
Beginning May 25, the Maryland lottery began awarding $40,000 a day for 40 days to a vaccinated Marylander. On July 4, the state will hold a grand prize drawing of $400,000 to one lucky resident.
In order to qualify, you must:
- Be a Maryland resident
- Be 18 or older
- Get vaccinated for COVID-19 in Maryland
Anyone who has already been vaccinated in Maryland is also eligible. The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) will attach a string of numbers to vaccinated people in the database. Those numbers will then be put in a random number generator by the Maryland Lottery and a new winner will be chosen daily.
All winners will be notified by MDH and the funding is being provided by the Maryland Lottery's marketing fund.
"Promotions like this are just one more way we are reinforcing the importance of getting every single Marylander we can vaccinate against COVID-19," Hogan said. "If you needed one more good reason, then go out and get vaccinated for your chance to win a share of this $2 million. So remember Maryland — get your shot for a shot to win.”