Still not vaccinated? Get your shot and a $25 gift card at these Charlotte clinics.
More COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Charlotte are now giving out $25 gift cards for people 18 and older who are getting their first shot, the county health department announced this week.
Mecklenburg County Public Health will also distribute $25 gift cards to people who drive others to any of the six participating clinics for their initial dose — so long as it’s a round-trip ride to and from the vaccine site.
The pilot program is a partnership between Mecklenburg and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, which last week also rolled out “Summer Cash Cards” in Guilford, Rowan and Rockingham Counties.
”The intent is to pay for (people’s) time and effort to come in and get vaccinated,” Mecklenburg Public Health Director Gibbie Harris told county commissioners Tuesday evening. “So we’ll see if it makes a difference.”
Vaccine incentives are becoming increasingly creative as healthcare providers strive to overcome lingering hesitancy and racial disparities among marginalized communities. CVS Health, for example, is offering multiple sweepstake prizes for people who get immunized, including cash, cruises, tropical vacations and even a trip to the Super Bowl.
Some states, such as Ohio, are running vaccine lotteries. Other states, like New York and Delaware, are offering full-ride college scholarship in vaccine raffles.
As of late Tuesday, 45.7% of Mecklenburg residents are at least partially vaccinated, according to N.C. DHHS. Statewide, 43.2% of all North Carolinians are at least partially vaccinated.
Uber, Lyft and taxi drivers are not eligible for the gift cards. Other drivers can only get one gift card per trip, even if they’re driving multiple friends and family to a clinic, according to Mecklenburg’s eligibility rules.
Vaccine recipients or drivers for second doses aren’t eligible for the gift cards, and neither are individuals 17 or younger.
Vaccine and summer cash sites
Here’s where you can earn some extra summer cash and protect yourself from COVID-19, courtesy of the state:
▪ MEDIC, 4425 Wilkinson Blvd.: From 12-7 p.m. on June 2; from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 4 and June 7
▪ Northwest Health Department, 2845 Beatties Ford Road: From 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on June 2
▪ Southeast Health Department, 249 Billingsley Road: From 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on June 3
▪ Catawba Brewing Co., 933 Louise Ave.: From 3-7 p.m. on June 4
▪ Food Truck Friday, 5700 Westpark Drive: From 3-8 p.m. on June 4
▪ Movement School Eastland, 5249 Central Ave.: From 12-4 p.m. on June 5
Several other sites in Charlotte, announced last week by N.C. DHHS, offer more flexibility to get immunized and snag a $25 gift card through June 8. Those include:
▪ StarMed Healthcare, 4001 Tuckaseegee Road: From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; walk-ins or schedule online at unityphr.com/campaigns/starmed/vaccine.
▪ StarMed Healthcare, 5344 Central Avenue: From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m daily; walk-ins or schedule online
▪ Bojangles Coliseum, 2700 E. Independence Blvd.: From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 7-8; walk-ins or schedule online
