ToplineNew York City will pay $100 for people who are vaccinated against Covid-19 in a city-run vaccine site, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday. This is the latest cash incentive offered by the city's government to the vaccine hesitant.On June 9, in Brooklyn, New York, people walk by a mobile vaccination station on Flatbush Avenue. Getty ImagesThe Key FactsAnyone who has received their first dose Covid-19 vaccine at a city vaccination site will receive a payment starting Friday. This will be in the form a $100 prepaid card. New Yorkers can search for a vaccine site by visiting the city's Vaccine Finder, or calling 1-877-VAX-4NYC. This payment is just one of many vaccine incentives New York City offers, including memberships to cultural attractions, free Shake Shack, subway Metrocards, and memberships to local museums. There is also a lotto for stays in local hotels and a $2,500 cash reward. New York City announced Monday that all municipal employees must show proof of vaccination and submit to weekly Covid-19 testing starting Sept. 13. This is in response to an increase in the transmission of the highly transmissible Delta variant. De Blasio has not resisted calls to create a new mask requirement and instead emphasized the importance of vaccines to stop the spread Covid-19. This is because the city has been dealing with an increase in infections due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.Big Number59.2% According to the city's health department, this is the percentage of New York City residents that have received at least one dose. This includes 70.9% of all adults. The number of Covid-19-related hospitalizations and cases in New York City is increasing. On July 4, the average daily count was 653 cases. This compares to 247 cases in July 4.TangentNew York State required Wednesday vaccinations for all state employees. This was after New York City had ordered workers to have the shot earlier in the week, and because the federal government is reportedly going to require them to get vaccines.Important BackgroundNew York City is following other cities across the country who have offered $100 to certain residents for vaccines, such as West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio. Several states have established vaccine lotteries, which have offered cash prizes up to $1 million. Although the effectiveness of these lotteries is not known, a JAMA study found that Ohio's vaccination rate declined after it announced its million-dollar lottery. Direct cash payments may prove to be more effective. The UCLA Covid-19 Health and Politics Project conducted a survey in March and April and found that 34% of respondents would prefer to receive $100 payments. However, 15% claimed that the cash bonus would make them less likely.Chief CriticResearchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and the University of Pennsylvania published a January study that suggested that cash payments for vaccines might be morally questionable and counterproductive. They also suggested that people could not be paid to overcome their concerns about vaccine development being too fast or side effects. The researchers suggested that cash incentives could be expected to increase these fears or raise more. As offers of payment are often seen as a signal that an action is risky or undesirable, they wrote. People who are Covid-19 vaccine hesitant may believe that the government won't pay them to get vaccinated in a climate of distrust and conspiracy theories.Continue readingNYC Imposes Covid-19 vaccineOr Weekly TestMandate for 340,000 City Workers (Forbes).This is insane: De Blasio rails a against vaccine holdoutsTo get a shot, you can earn $100. Experiments show it can pay off. (New York Times).Problems with paying people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 (JAMA).Live updates and coverage of the Coronavirus
