SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Six vaccinated Californians won “dream vacations” in a drawing held Thursday afternoon, the last in a series of lottery prizes meant to incentivize getting the shot.
The randomly selected winners came from Alameda, Contra Costa, Orange, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties.
Anyone who has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine was automatically eligible, and winners will be kept anonymous unless they choose otherwise. The state health department will contact winners via the information they provided when they registered for their shot.
Winners who have only had one dose of either Pfizer or Moderna at the time of the draw will need to complete their vaccination series before they can receive their prize.
The California Department of Public Health and members of the state legislature were on hand in Sacramento to draw the winners.
The getaways include:
- a trip to Anaheim with two-night stays at three resorts, 2-day park-hopper tickets to the Disneyland Resort, dinner at the Anaheim White House and a $500 gift certificate to South Coast Plaza;
- a stay at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live, with two floor seats to a Lakers game, four tickets to Universal Studios Hollywood and visits to The Broad, the California Science Center and the Natural History Museum;
- a two-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Rancho Mirage, an 80-minute spa treatment for two and daily breakfast for two at State Fare Bar & Kitchen;
- a San Diego Beach Dream Vacation, featuring a five-night stay at Catamaran Resort Hotel, surf lessons, a series of dining gift certificates and tickets to the Padres, San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego and Legoland;
- a San Diego Downtown Dream Vacation, with a five-night stay at Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, four tickets to the San Diego Symphony, dining certificates, passes to the U.S.S. Midway Museum, a harbor tour, Padres tickets and visits to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and SeaWorld; and
- a five-night stay at the Hotel Nikko San Francisco, four San Francisco City Passes providing tickets to various attractions, dining packages at four luxury eateries such as Jaranita and Wilder, and four tickets to a Giants baseball game.
Newsom said the venues participating in the giveaway donated their services, while the state “is going to provide an additional $2,000 for travel, so your travel is covered.”
The dream vacation giveaway was launched to extend the vaccine incentive program beyond the final drawing in the state’s cash prize lottery.
In mid-June, Newsom said California has seen a 14% increase in vaccinations since the incentives were first announced and a total of 72% of Californians 18 and older have received at least one shot.
Pre-paid cards with a value of $50 are still available to Californians who schedule an appointment to get the shot, though supplies are limited, the state said Thursday. You can learn more on California’s vaccine website.
