Ethan Lucero, 19, of Las Vegas receives a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Eldorado High School in Las Vegas on Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Lucero was one of 500 people on Saturday to receive a $100 gift card for getting the shot, as part of a new Clark County pilot program.
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 | 8:01 p.m.
Hundreds of residents showed up at Eldorado High School on Saturday to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and got the added bonus of a $100 gift card thanks to a Clark County pilot program.
The two-day clinic targeted northeast Las Vegas because the area near the school has some of the highest case counts for the coronavirus, officials said.
A total of 423 shots were administered — a sign that an added financial incentive may be an effective tool in fighting stagnating vaccination rates, officials said.
“Thank God. I’ve been pushing this idea for a long time,” said Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, whose district includes the area around Eldorado, and who also spearheaded the initiative. “Finally, everyone said ‘OK, lets try it out,’ but I was scared that maybe it didn’t make a difference. But you can see, I think it really does make a difference.”
The program, which initially costs $100,000, was funded with federal coronavirus relief monies, Segerblom said.
Based off the turnout on Saturday, Segerblom said he’d like to see the program expanded into other ZIP codes with low rates of vaccination. More clinics could be held at schools, or in shopping districts, which would allow people to use their gift cards right away.
“We just need to get people vaccinated and make sure our economy doesn’t collapse again,” he said.
The Nevada Health Response reports that 64.5% of Clark County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to 53.3% who are fully immunized.
The added financial incentive, however, may be enough to keep vaccination rates steady as the fall approaches.
“Obviously, for like $100, anyone on the fence is gonna do it,” said Keenan Laffoon, 31, who was at Eldorado on Saturday with his wife, Ursula to get the jab.
Laffoon said the whole family caught COVID last December, and decided now the time was right to get vaccinated. They plan to spend their gift cards on bills, among other things.
“It was easy,” he said. “We weren’t in a rush to get the vaccine. And then we heard about waning antibodies, and now, we thought it was just our time to get the shot.”
Another 500 gift cards will be available on Sunday when the clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Eldorado, near Christy Lane and Washington Avenue. Appointments can be made here, and limited walk-ins will also be accepted, said Stacey Welling, a Clark County spokesperson.
Ethan Lucero, 19, of Las Vegas said he caught COVID-19 early in the year, but waited until Saturday to get his first dose. He said he’s unsure of what he’ll spend his gift card on.
“Well, to be honest, me and needles don’t really get along,” Lucero said. “And hearing about some of those risks were scary. … but at some point you have to realize that the benefits outweigh the risk.”
Should the program expand, it’s important to keep the clinics in easily accessible areas that need them the most, said commissioner Justin Jones, who represents the southwest portion of the county.
“It’s just a testament that when you provide opportunities in peoples’ neighborhoods, there are going to come out and do the right thing when it comes to their own health,” Jones said.
