Hawai‘i’s Vaccination Incentive Campaign Extended Through August

Incentives to get vaccinated will continue in Hawai‘i through the summer months.

The state announced earlier this week that its #HIGotVaccinated campaign will continue into August. The campaign reportedly had a positive impact on projected models of continued inoculation across the Hawaiian Islands, which the Department of Health (DOH) said justified continuing the campaign for two more months.

Prior to the #HIGotVaccinated campaign, the average number of new weekly vaccinations was on the decline. Based on the observed rate of a 20% weekly decline in the statewide vaccination rates in the weeks leading up to the campaign, DOH created a model predicting the number of vaccinations that would have been expected following these trends.

Under this model, the incentives campaign and promotions contributed to a 30% increase in vaccinations over what was predicted, according to a DOH press release. To date, the HIGotVaccinated.com page has registered more than 1,284,000 views and more than 240,000 people have registered for the chance to win prizes. Sixty-one percent of site visitors represent the 18-34 age group, DOH said.

“It is important we vaccinate a greater percentage of the state’s population,” Hilton Raethel, president and CEO of the Healthcare Association of Hawai‘i, said. “No one thing is going to get the job done. However, continued vaccine education, outreach, and easy access to vaccines coupled with attractive incentives will keep us moving in the right direction.”

Seven #HIGotVaccinated winners have already won airline tickets and hotel stays. Six more winners’ names have been drawn and will be announced Friday, July 2. The final winners of 83 more prizes will be drawn today and announced later in July.

American Savings Bank, which recently awarded three of its vaccinated employees a $5,000 cash prize, announced that it will be offering three additional $5,000 cash prizes as the #HIGotVaccinated campaign makes the next big push to get more residents vaccinated in July and August. This will be the first cash prize of the campaign.

“Keeping Hawaii healthy and safe is all of our responsibility and that’s why American Savings Bank is thrilled to partner with #HIGotVaccinated on this important effort to get our community vaccinated,” Ann Teranishi, American Saving Bank President and Chief Executive Officer, said. “In fact, we care about the well-being of our customers and community so much that nearly 95 percent of our ASB teammates are fully vaccinated or in the process of being vaccinated. We’re all in this together and we encourage other companies to urge their employees to do the same.”

The new batch of incentives, including the cash from American Savings Bank, will be listed at HIGotVaccinated.com on July 12. The campaign will continue until grand prize winners are announced on Statehood Day, Friday, August 20.

Individuals who registered at HIGotVaccinated.com in June will be automatically entered to win in July. They do not need to register again. COVID-19 vaccines are free and available at hundreds of locations around the state.

According to the DOH, a total of 57.9% of state residents are fully vaccinated, while 62.5% have started their vaccination schedules.

The #HIGotVaccinated campaign is supported by Adventist Health Castle, ConnectWorks, H&B Marketing, Hawaii Pacific Health, Humana, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, Maui Health, MDX Hawaii, The Queen’s Health Systems, and the generous support of Hawai´i’s business community.