Over 30K Minnesotans claim $100 reward in latest COVID-19 vaccine incentive push

(FOX 9) - Minnesota is set to pay out at least $3.1 million in its latest push to get more Minnesotans vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Minnesota Department of Health reported 30,100 newly vaccinated people have registered to get the $100 Visa gift card reward offered by the state so far—well over the 17,409 people who claimed a prize during Minnesota’s last round of vaccine incentives in June. The claim form for the $100 reward opened last week.

Sherburne, Mille Lacs, Chisago, Clay, and Roseau counties—some of the state’s least vaccinated counties-- have the highest number of requests per capita, MDH said.

Gov. Tim Walz initially approved $2.5 million of federal money for this round of vaccine incentives, but a legislative panel has now approved another $13.8 million to fund the program and any future incentives.

The current program runs through Sunday. People who got their first dose of the vaccine any time after July 30 are eligible for the $100 gift card. You can register your dose here to claim your reward.

To find and schedule a vaccine appointment, click here.  

As the pace of vaccinations starts to pick up slightly, Minnesota is nearing Walz’s goal of getting 70% of people ages 16 and older vaccinated.

The latest MDH data shows 69.8% of people 16 and up now have at least one vaccine dose and 66.1% are fully vaccinated.

A total of 5,986,205 doses have been administered in Minnesota to date.