Washington, D.C., is treating residents to more than coronavirus immunity at vaccination sites, offering free beer to those who get the jab at at least one pop-up site.
On Thursday, more than 100 residents were vaccinated during a “Shot and a Beer” pop-up vaccination event DC Health held at the Kennedy Center.
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the event, which offered residents 21 and up the opportunity to receive the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Those who got the shot were offered a free beer from Solace Brewing Company.
“Our goal is to provide vaccination opportunities for every Washingtonian that wants them. That’s why, we are introducing our new pop-up, walk-up vaccination sites. Be on the lookout for vaccination events like this week’s, ‘Take A Shot – Get A Beer,’” Bowser wrote in a tweet announcing the event.
“The more we can encourage people to get vaccinated, the better,” said Solace Brewing Company co-owner, Jon Humerick, who told WDMV he was hospitalized with the coronavirus earlier this year.
Patrick Ashley, DC Health’s senior deputy director, remarked that the event could encourage those who are hesitant to get the shot.
“We know that individuals have different reasons to get vaccinations at different times, and we know different incentives work for different people,” Ashely said. “The reality is that we see young people that die or end in the hospital from COVID.”
“Always down for free beer so it doesn’t take much more than that to get me to come somewhere, and luckily they were giving out vaccines down here, too,” law student Jacob Nagy told WTOP.
D.C. also teamed up with Uber to provide free round-trips for those who wished to come to the vaccination and beer event.
A slew of companies, celebrities, and local governments have recently begun offering incentives to people who get the vaccine. The trend appears to have been started in March by Krispy Kreme, which started giving out free donuts to anyone who had received a coronavirus vaccine. On Saturday, celebrity Chef José Andrés announced that he would give a $50 gift certificate for any of his Think Food Group restaurants in the Washington, D.C., area to anyone who shows their vaccine papers proving they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
As of Sunday, about 36% of D.C. residents were partially or fully vaccinated. Of that group, about 22% have been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, only 16 new cases of the virus were announced in D.C. on Sunday, and no new coronavirus deaths were recorded. About one-third of Americans have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus so far.
Last week, President Biden announced a goal of having 70% of Americans vaccinated by July 4. The pace of daily vaccinations has dropped since last month. In April, about 3.3 million Americans were receiving daily vaccinations. This month, only 2.29 million Americans are receiving shots per day.
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