In the first 13 days after Gov. Tony Evers announced his $100 COVID-19 vaccine incentive program, over 65,000 Wisconsin residents received their first dose of the vaccine.
But in some rural counties, public health officials say Evers’ announcement prompted only a small spike in vaccination rates before returning to regular levels.
“I think everyone’s been experiencing somewhat of a rise,” said Buffalo County public health director Josie Knauber. “We’re pretty small, and we don’t vaccinate too many people, but we did experience a small rise and then kind of leveled out again right before school started.”
In Buffalo County, 121 vaccine doses were administered in the week before the incentive program was announced. After the announcement, the county saw a 52 percent increase with 184 doses administered. By the last week of the program, however, just 73 doses were administered to Buffalo County residents, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Knauber says other factors might have also contributed to the increase in vaccinations.
“People are saying, numbers are getting bad, Delta is more contagious, or my family and friends want me to get vaccinated, ” Knauber said. “This is also a common one—There’s going to be a new baby in the family and we’ve got to protect the new baby, or it’s getting FDA approved, or getting prepared to go back to school.”
In a statement to News 3 Investigates, Waupaca Public Health Director Jed Wohlt said their county also saw a spike in vaccination rates, but the overall effectiveness of the program is difficult to determine.
“It is hard to say how effective the incentive program was, we didn’t officially poll individuals that came to our vaccination clinics,” Wohlt wrote. “We did see an increase in vaccinations during the incentive period. Some people that came into our walk-in clinic were aware of the incentive and others were not aware of it until after we mentioned it was available.”
A News 3 review of counties across Wisconsin showed a similar pattern: an initial small spike in vaccines when the $100 incentive was first announced, followed by another decline. A News 3 Investigation found mixed results across the country for vaccine incentives.
While it may be hard to pin down an overall success rate, Knauber said the program may have been a push in the right direction for those hesitant to receive the vaccine.
“It was cool to see and I think it made people feel good to get the bonus,” Knauber said.
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