Ohio sets up for second Vax-A-Million drawing

Time is running out for people to register for the second Vax-A-Million drawing.

Just like last week, the name of the million dollar winner will be chosen Monday and announced on statewide television Wednesday.

However, the deadline to register is at 11:59:59 pm tonight.

>>Here’s what the first winners are planning with their winnings

In an interview with News Center 7, Ohio Department of Health Director Stephanie McCloud said the two days between the actual drawing Monday and the announcement of the winner Wednesday will be put to good use.

“That will give us 48 hours to verify the eligibility and ensure that our winner is in fact our winner,” McCloud said.

To eligible for the $1 million prize you must be:

At least 18 years old.

A permanent resident of Ohio.

Have at least one dose of the vaccine.

Some state employees in the DeWine administration are not eligible.

McCloud said the lottery will assign a random number to each of the names registered for the drawing.

Then, another random number system will select the winner.

>>Making The Most of Vax-A-Million Publicity

The winner will be notified in advance and their name will be announced during the Wednesday night broadcast at 7:29, seen locally on WHIO-TV. Winners may not remain anonymous.

How the winner’s name is unveiled, whether it be with great fanfare and fireworks, or in some other way, is up to the lottery.

“They’re pros at this. They are pros at the hype. They are pros at the presentation and they are still working on those final details on how that will be conducted but whatever way you slice it we can all agree there will be a lot of anticipation,” McCloud said.

At the same time the winner of the first cash prize is announced, the lottery will also announce the winner of the college scholarship for students age 12-17.

Since the announcement of the Vax-a-Million drawings, vaccination rates have increased sharply, especially among teenagers. Among Ohioans ages 16-17 who were previously eligible, a 61% increase, or an average of 2,331 more shots were administered per week, post-announcement, compared with pre-announcement.

• Week 1 (ages 16-17): 72% increase or 2,733 more shots week over week when compared to the week before the announcement.

• Week 2 (ages 16-17): 51% increase or 1,928 more shots week over week when compared to the week before the announcement.

Four additional drawings in the two categories will be held on Wednesdays through June.

Cox Media Group