Get a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and get a gift of AirPods? You have not read wrong. That is the new strategy of the city of Washington DC to motivate the youngest to receive their first puncture from Pfizer.
Muriel Bowser, mayor of the United States capital, has shared this initiative in her official Twitter profile indicating that the vaccinated, if they wish, can also receive a gift card of $ 51 instead of the aforementioned headphones. At the same time, young people will be entered into the raffle for an iPad with headphones or a scholarship of up to $ 25,000.
To get some of these awards, those interested must be between 12 and 17 years old, attend one of the vaccination centers indicated by the mayor and, of course, receive the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19, which is free.
Bowser’s announcement has caused multiple negative comments. Many of these criticisms can be read in the responses to the tweet posted on the mayor’s official account.
Some people are against the use of incentives for minors to come to receive the dose of the vaccine against COVID-19. However, many of the comments are unreasonable, since one of the requirements to be able to get vaccinated and get the AirPods is that the minor must be accompanied by an adult, such as your parents or legal guardian. Therefore, the parent has to allow whether their child is vaccinated or not.
The COVID-19 vaccine is already used in people over 12 years old
In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of the Pfizer vaccine in adolescents aged 12-15 years, while health workers began to administer the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to those over 16 years of age in December 2020. Despite this, in the United States, this age group is the one that accumulates a lower percentage of vaccinated population
The number of infections, however, continues to grow considerably, and there are concerns about the different variants, which are more contagious and can put people who, until now, seemed less vulnerable at risk.