Without determining what Health will do with $3.7 million to encourage vaccination

The Department of Health has distributed $2.2 million in federal funds last year to encourage vaccination against COVID-19 among the population and another $3.7 million still remain in the pot that has not been determined how they will be used, according to information provided by the Secretary of the agency, Carlos Mellado.

Specifically, Salud received last summer an item of $10 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) to promote vaccination against COVID-19. However, the agency had already used $1 million from other items it had received to deal with the effects of the coronavirus by holding several raffles, with prizes reaching as high as $250,000.

With that first million destined to promote vaccination, “there were two VacunarTe Paga lotteries of $500,000. The (first) effort encouraged more than a dozen people with prizes of $250,000 (with one winner), $100,000 (for two people), $25,000 (for two people). The second lottery was $25,000 (for two people), $15,000 (for three), $10,000 (for six) and $1,000 (for 45 winners),” the headline detailed.

The agency then received the $10 million identified by Governor Pedro Pierluisi for further initiatives to enact vaccination.

The president held the press conference last June. He alluded that the sum would be to give incentives to the population, which will include lotteries and raffles with special prizes, such as stays and cars, among others.

The Department of Health, however, has earmarked only $1,282,000 for the “gift card” initiative.

This program consisted of an “incentive of $100 to promote vaccination in the population… 10,000 cards aimed at first, second, third and booster doses have been awarded to everyone who was inoculated against COVID-19”.

Mellado commented that with these $10 million, “the Incentive Program was also expanded to include tracking costs and $5 million was allocated for that purpose.”

Of the $10 million pot, there is now $3,718,000 left unused. It was not immediately clear how the money would be used.

However, Mellado assured that the effort paid off and that each time they activated the delivery of gift cards or raffles, there was an increase in people getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

Currently, 95.1% of the population eligible for vaccination aged five or older has at least one of the two doses of the vaccine against this deadly virus, for a total of 2,926,793 people. Meanwhile, 85.4% of the eligible population has both doses of the vaccine. This represents 2,627,092 people.

The line that is lowest is that of booster doses. According to Health, 1,305,488 of the 2,314,342 eligible to receive this vaccine and who are 12 years old or older have received it, for 56.4%.

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