Most Have Not Registered Yet For VaxMillions

Fewer than half of the people who have gotten fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in Massachusetts have registered for a chance to win $1 million or a $300,000 college scholarship from the state, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg said Tuesday.

The treasurer said 1.8 million people have registered for the VaxMillions giveaway, including 70,000 to 80,000 12- to 17-year-olds. To be eligible for the drawings that start on July 26, entrants must be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus by July 22. As of Tuesday, there were at least 4.24 million people who got fully vaccinated in Massachusetts.

Appearing on Bloomberg Baystate Business, Goldberg said she spoke with Gov. Charlie Baker Tuesday about ways they could promote the program, which was intended to incentivize more people to obtain vaccinations.

"In the next three weeks, there's got to be a really concerted push — in radio, newspapers, in multiple languages — to encourage people ... that's what we're hopeful for because I'm concerned about the Delta variant and its impacts on populations that were already seen throughout the country on areas that have lower vaccination rates," the treasurer said.