Beautiful Virgin Islands

Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

From free flat to cash prizes – what will it take to sell Covid-19 jabs?

From free flat to cash prizes – what will it take to sell Covid-19 jabs?

Time off work, free air tickets and lucky draws for cash are just some of the inducements being offered to people still hesitating to take their shots.

Hong Kong property tycoons on Friday joined forces to hold a grand lottery, dangling a top prize of HK$10.8 million (US$1.4 million) in the world’s costliest housing market as an incentive for hesitant residents to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

A lack of trust in the government and concerns over rare side effects have led to a sluggish vaccination roll-out in Hong Kong. As of Friday, the take-up rate for the first vaccine dose was 17.6 per cent, and the figure was 12.9 per cent for both shots among the city’s population of 7.5 million people.

At a daily rate of 28,564 doses administered, it would take an estimated 10 months to cover 75 per cent of residents.

The Post explores other incentives made available in the city before Friday’s bold move by tycoons, as well as measures rolled out by other governments to give their vaccination drives a shot in the arm.

Hong Kong property companies are offering vaccinated permanent residents a chance to win a new one-bedroom flat at Grand Central in Kwun Tong.


Lucky draws and lotteries


Winning cash or a flat are among the gimmicks local governments and private enterprises have introduced to incentivise people to get vaccinated worldwide.

Sino Group’s philanthropic arm Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Chinese Estates Holdings on Friday announced the unprecedented lottery to encourage people to get vaccinated, offering a new 449 sq ft one-bedroom flat worth HK$10.8 million at the Grand Central project in Kwun Tong.

All residents aged 18 years and above who hold a Hong Kong permanent identity card and have received both doses of their Covid-19 vaccine
will be eligible for the chance to become a homeowner, a far-fetched dream for many given the city’s exorbitant rents and home prices.

Sponsors of the bonanza will also donate 20 prizes with a prepaid or credit card value of HK$100,000 each.

Covid-19 vaccinations worldwide

Share of population that has received at least one vaccine dose


In the United States, cash prize lotteries have been going on in at least three states in a move to encourage people to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated.


Some 62 per cent of American adults have received at least one vaccine shot and about half of adults were fully vaccinated as of Thursday, according to data tracked by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

US President Joe Biden
set a goal on May 4 to push the rate up to 70 per cent by July 4 – the Independence Day holiday.

Abbigail Bugenske, a 22-year-old college graduate was the first winner of Ohio’s “Vax-a-Million” sweepstakes. She won US$1 million in the statewide lottery, which at first she thought was a prank, The New York Times reported on Thursday. The five-week contest is open to all residents who have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot.

Abbigail Bugenske, 22, won US$1 million in Ohio’s vaccination incentive sweepstakes.


California has launched the largest Covid-19 vaccine lottery in the US, with a top prize of US$1.5 million to 10 lucky winners who have received at least one vaccine shot. State residents will also be eligible for a total of US$116.5 million in prize money in a bid to get America’s most populous state to get vaccinated.

In Maryland, the state lottery will be drawing a cash prize of US$40,000 for 40 consecutive days for people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. The final draw, on the July 4 holiday, will be worth US$400,000 for one lucky winner.

Freebies from flight tickets to beer


The Hong Kong Airport Authority on Monday unveiled a lucky draw of 60,000 flight tickets open to Hong Kong residents and airport staff who receive their Covid-19 vaccination before the end of September. The authority said 50,000 tickets would be allocated for residents, while the rest would be for airport staff.

Ocean Park chairman Lau Ming-wai said on Thursday the theme park would be open to offer incentives for residents but stopped short of announcing details.

In the United States, vaccinated New Yorkers can get free tickets to attractions such as the Bronx Zoo, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and a free ride on the subway. Local breweries in New Jersey are giving residents with at least one vaccine dose a free beer in May, while more than two dozen eateries at Miami Beach are offering free drinks and a series of discounts.

In Dubai, three restaurants under Gates Hospitality are offering 10 per cent discounts to residents who have received their first shot and 20 per cent off if they had taken two doses.

A luxury restaurant at the Peninsula Hong Kong. The hotel chain is offering cash and benefits to employees who get vaccinated.


Extra days off, cash bonuses and vaccine programme outreach to workplaces


Businesses in Hong Kong have also offered a range of perks to get staff vaccinated, in hopes of kick-starting the recovery of the battered services sector.

Hong Kong is among several places in Asia that have largely kept its infection caseload low and deaths to a minimum but have struggled to reopen.

Billionaire Michael Kadoorie’s Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, which runs the luxurious Peninsula Hotels chain and the iconic Peak Tram, was offering its 1,500-strong workforce cash and benefits to get vaccinated.

The hotel group was offering employees HK$2,000 (US$258) to get the jabs. If the group reaches a vaccination rate of 70 per cent for its staff, an additional HK$2,000 will be dished out to employees who complete their vaccination by August 31.

Meanwhile, staff at the Airport Authority would be eligible to take a total of three days off starting April 20 if they get vaccinated.

The Hong Kong Construction Association was also aiming to boost its vaccination rate through making use of the government’s vaccine outreach programme, according to the group’s president Eddie Lam Kin-wing.

The association was coordinating with the government, and outreach teams to administer either the German-made BioNTech jab or the Chinese-produced Sinovac vaccine across dozens of construction sites in Kai Tak as part of a trial run.

On May 21, the government’s outreach team administered BioNTech vaccines to 170 employees of accounting firm Deloitte at their office in Admiralty.


Shortened quarantine and vaccine bubbles


Hong Kong cut its 21-day mandatory quarantine for most vaccinated inbound travellers starting May 7, depending on the risk classification of the passenger’s country of origin.

Fully inoculated people who arrive from low-risk countries, such as Australia and New Zealand will need to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine and another seven of self-monitoring, with a test on the 12th day upon arrival.

Vaccinated travellers from medium and high-risk countries, such as the United States and Canada, will have to quarantine for 14 days at a designated hotel plus seven of self-monitoring and compulsory tests on the 16th and 19th day upon arrival.


Quarantine for vaccinated close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 infections were also reduced.

The isolation period was shortened from 14 days at a government facility to a self-monitoring period of seven days for those who had received two vaccine doses if they were found to be close contacts of coronavirus cases.

If the confirmed infection involved more virulent mutated strain, fully vaccinated people had to be sent to government facilities for 14 days of quarantine and a week of self-monitoring.

Earlier in April, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor unveiled a “vaccine bubble” that tied the reopening of businesses and easing of social-distancing rules directly to Covid-19 vaccinations.

Bars and nightclubs were allowed to reopen after more than four months of closure if all staff and customers had received at least one vaccine shot and used the government’s risk-exposure “Leave Home Safe” app.

Under the multi-tiered system – which drew immediate industry backlash due to the overcomplicated rules – those who had been vaccinated would be allowed to dine out in groups of six or eight at restaurants.

If all restaurant staff had received at least one vaccine dose and customers used the government’s app, up to six people would be allowed at each table until midnight, compared with four people per table who must leave at 10pm.

Restaurants could welcome tables of eight people and stay open until 2am, provided employees were fully vaccinated and patrons had received at least one jab.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×