New York City to give out $100 rewards to residents who get booster shots by New Year’s Eve

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio announced on Tuesday that the city would give $100 to anyone who gets a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot by New Year’s Eve.

“This is the moment,” de Blasio tweeted. “Get your booster and protect your family and city.” The incentive program starts immediately and will last until Dec. 31, as per the mayor’s press conference. The $100 is offered at city-run vaccination sites vaccination and SOMOS community care centers.

“This will be by far the biggest booster incentive program in the United States of America,” de Blasio said. “This is the moment, come out in real big numbers, get those booster shots and help make your family safer and help make this whole city safer,” de Blasio added.

DeBlasio warned New Yorkers that his health team expects the current surge to intensify in short order, contributing to an unprecedented increase in viral spread, but this latest wave is only expected to last a few weeks. 

The city’s rolling case weekly average is up nearly 123% over the averages for the prior four weeks, Tuesday’s data shows. Hospitalizations are up 12% by the same parameters, it has been reported that the vast majority of those cases are people who aren’t vaccinated.

“Everyone who has not been vaccinated, it’s time. Everyone who has not gotten that booster, it’s time. This city is ready to make sure everyone gets that booster and that’s the way we move through these challenging few weeks,” de Blasio said Tuesday. “No more shutdowns. We’ve been through them, they were devastating, we can’t go through it again. We need to all work together these next few weeks.”