If you’re on the fence about getting vaccinated against the coronavirus, would cash change your mind?
Former presidential candidate and former Democratic congressman from Maryland, John Delaney, says he knows how to get people to line up to get the treatment.
Delany has proposed giving people a $1,500 stimulus check after they get vaccinated.
Pay everyone $1500 to get vaccine
— John Delaney (@JohnDelaney) November 20, 2020
It is a stimulus check & big vaccine incentive rolled into one
Result: more people get vaccine, it saves lives, helps people financially, and the $400 B pays for itself w/ economic boost from ending pandemic
RT if you agree #vaccinestimulus
“The faster we get 75 percent of this country vaccinated, the faster we end COVID and the sooner everything returns to normal,” Delany told CNBC.
He also outlined his proposal in an op-ed for The Washington Post recently. In it, he cited a poll that showed only 58% of Americans are willing to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
The leading infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, said between 60 to 70% of the population has to be immune to COVID-19 to have herd immunity, the “Today” show reported.
But Delany’s plan has some roadblocks.
Congress has already come up with a stimulus plan that appears to have support in both chambers and on both sides of the aisle.
Also, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is coming up with a list of who gets the vaccines first.
>> Related: Who will get the COVID-19 vaccine first? CDC meets this week to discuss distribution
But if Delany’s plan would come into reality, it would work by a person getting a number when they’re vaccinated that is then entered into a portal with their Social Security number to get their payment, CNBC reported.
He likens it to regulations over other vaccinations like the ones needed for the majority of children to go to school.
Delany also uses Mexico and India as case studies for rewarding people who get various inoculations.
Delany is not alone with financial payment for those who get vaccinated.
Robert Litan from the Brookings Institution said people should be paid at least $1,000, “Today” reported.
Litan introduced his idea earlier this year.
Not everyone thinks that paying for getting a shot is the way to go.
“People should understand that they are part of society. It’s like paying people to stop at stop signs,” Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told the “Today” show.
Arthur Caplan, founder of the division of medical ethics at NYU School of Medicine said the move would give more ammunition for the anti-vaccination movement.
“If you pay people to get vaccinated, the strong implication is it’s not safe, there’s something wrong, you have to use money to persuade them,” Caplin told “Today.”
More coronavirus pandemic coverage:
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>> Coronavirus: CDC updates guidance for COVID-19 testing
>> Dangerous hand sanitizer list up to more than 150 products, FDA announces
>> Wash your masks: How to clean a cloth face covering
>> Fact check: Will masks lower the oxygen level, raise the carbon dioxide in your blood?
>> How to not let coronavirus pandemic fatigue set in, battle back if it does
Cox Media Group
