NewsNation

Missouri considering vaccine incentive program

ST LOUIS, MO - FEBRUARY 20: Fans watch a game between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks at Enterprise Center on February 20, 2021 in St Louis, Missouri. A limited about of fans were allowed to watch the game while prating social distancing and wearing masks. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson’s administration floated the idea of a statewide COVID-19 vaccination incentive program and the possibility of a “substantial grand prize” during a meeting of health officials.

Consideration of incentives comes as the fast-spreading delta variant ravages rural Missouri. The state has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 transmission in the U.S.


Latest News

The Kansas City Star reports that it obtained notes from a June 25 Zoom meeting of the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence during which a senior state Department of Health and Senior Services official shared the potential incentives program.

The notes compiled by the center’s secretary said a potential program would likely start in July. A Parson spokesperson said Friday only that work is continuing on potential incentive options.