Students at the University of Southern Mississippi are being offered incentives to get immunized.Randomly selected students vaccinated will be eligible to win housing credits and tuition for fall.Mississippi has one the lowest rates of vaccination in the country and is experiencing a rise in COVID-19.10 Things in Politics: Keep up to date with the most recent political and economic news. Loading Something is loading. Click Sign up to receive marketing emails and other offers from Insider.According to a statement released Thursday by the University of Southern Mississippi, some students will receive tuition reimbursements and housing assistance if they are vaccinated.This incentive program is designed to encourage students to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Five students who have been vaccinated will be selected randomly each week over the course of 12 weeks to receive rewards. Students can win Fall semester tuition at $4,602, $2,000 in housing credits, and $1,000 in dining credit, among other items.A COVID-19 vaccination is the best way to ensure that our students stay healthy, connected, and in class this fall. "I urge all our students to get vaccinated now for COVID-19, if not already," Dr. Dee Dee Anderson (USM Vice President for Students Affairs) stated in the announcement.Continue reading: Don't penalize the unvaccinated to make it more difficult to choose not to be vaccinatedAccording to data from the Mayo Clinic, Mississippi has the lowest vaccination rate of any state. Only 34.5% of Mississippi's residents are fully vaccinated. Alabama is the only state with a lower percentage of fully vaccinated residents.As the Delta variant spreads, Mississippi is also experiencing an increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases. The Clarion Ledger reported that some intensive care units in Mississippi are at capacity.Certain states offer incentives for getting the vaccine. This includes vaccine lotteries in Ohio and California.This week, President Joe Biden demanded that states and local governments pay $100 to inoculate people.
