West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said the state will give away guns in order to bribe people to get the coronavirus vaccine, The Hill reported.
It also plans to hand out cash and trucks via its new vaccine lottery program.
For each of the incentive program’s first five weeks, one winner will claim the grand prize of over $1.5 million. The runner-up will receive $588,000.
Currently, 51% of the West Virginia population has received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Despite the state’s relative lack of enthusiasm regarding the vaccine, Justice, a Republican, praised the program’s potential effectiveness while announcing the plan on Tuesday.
“We had people run and beg to get their vaccinations,” Justice said. “People are begging to have the ability to get vaccinated.”
Justice also argued that the incentive program would save West Virginia money in the long run, because its expenditures could easily be made up for in reduced healthcare costs.
The announcement comes amid a multi-billion-dollar federal “vaccine confidence” campaign spearheaded by President Joe Biden.
Among the gimmicks being used to generate greater interest is a partnership with Anheuser–Busch, which recently promised free Budweiser in return for vaccine compliance.
Justice noted his frustration over the need to create such incentive programs, arguing that people should get vaccinated in order to save lives.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have to give away things to get people across the finish line,” the governor suggested.
Nonetheless, among those who remain at low risk of suffering serious adverse effects from contracting the coronavirus, skepticism is likely to rise as several key components to the pandemic narrative began recently to unravel.
Already, the inconsistency of guidelines from leading experts like the World Health Organization, National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have led many to doubt that the scientific bureaucracy has their best interest at heart.
Moreover, a tranche of emails from COVID czar Anthony Fauci on Wednesday confirmed that he was aware of crucial scientific information that left-wing media actively worked to suppress and deny for months.
Among the revelations were details appearing to support the virus’s likely laboratory origin, China’s role in gain-of-function research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and the benefits of treating the virus with hydroxychloroquine.
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
