HIGotVaccinated Begins “Vax Da Max,” a New Round of Prizes for Newly Vaccinated

In an effort to encourage more vaccinations in Hawaiʻi, private contributors have gathered to offer new incentives. This new component of the #HIGotVaccinated campaign is called Vax Da Max and it’s designed as an incentive for those who are not yet vaccinated.

“The idea is that we wanted to create some hype and excitement for those that are going out and getting vaccinated now,” said Patrick V. Bullard with H&B Marketing.

The state Department of Health reports that there were more than 10,000 vaccinations administered over the weekend. “We do see that the number of people getting vaccinated and the number of vaccinations administered in recent days and weeks has crept up just a bit. And we believe that’s because people have seen these high case counts, they are worried about the Delta variant and they want to be a part of the solution,” said department spokesperson Brooks Baehr.

There were 437 additional COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i on Monday. That comes after four consecutive days in which the state’s total new cases has been in the 600s. The latest data represents an average of 546 cases per day for the state over the past seven days, and comes amid a spike in cases involving the Delta variant. 

The DOH reports that 68.3% of the state population has had one dose of vaccination, and 60.8% have completed full vaccination. On Maui, the DOH reports that 63 percent of the total population in Maui County has initiated a vaccine, while 55 percent have completed a full course of vaccination. 

“The business community recognizes that to end this pandemic, we’re going to need even more people vaccinated,” said Baehr. According to the DOH, segments of the business community are stepping up to support the incentive component of the #HIGotVaccinated campaign that is designed specifically to attract and reward those who will be vaccinated in the coming days and weeks.

The first run of the #HIGotVaccinated campaign gave away 110 prizes. The “Hana Hou” round of the campaign, which is currently ongoing, is providing additional prizes as other sponsors have stepped forward. The latest iteration announced on Monday is Vax Da Max, which aims to vaccinate people right away.

Anyone who enters the Vax Da Max campaign, will be automatically entered for the Hana Hou round of the #HIGotVaccinated campaign. Only Hawaiʻi residents 18 or older who have initiated at least one vaccination shot on or after Aug. 9 are eligible for Vax Da Max.

“Your odds will be greater, because it’s for people who were recently vaccinated,” said Bullard. Starting Aug. 9, anyone who is vaccinated going forward, until all prizes are exhausted, will have a chance to win.

Some of the prizes include four prize packs from McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaiʻi valued at $500 each, and there are four $125 prize packs from Papa John’s Pizza Hawaiʻi. There’s also a prize for the 10,000th person that enters the new Milestone Contest which includes: a San Francisco package with roundtrip tickets for two courtesy of Alaska Airlines, a two night stay at the Handlery Hotel in Union Square in San Francisco, and San Francisco Giants tickets courtesy of part owner Duane Kurisu.

Prizes will be awarded at other vaccination milestones as follows:

● 2,000 – McDonald’s of Hawaii $500 prize value
● 3,000 – Papa Johns Pizza Prize Pack $125 value
● 4,000 – McDonald’s of Hawaii $500 prize value
● 5,000 – Papa Johns Pizza Prize Pack $125 value
● 6,000 – McDonald’s of Hawaii $500 prize value
● 7,000 – Papa Johns Pizza Prize Pack $125 value

“We definitely wanted to do our part to encourage people to get vaccinated,” said Vincent Lim, Owner/Operator, McDonald’s Hawaiʻi.

“I commend all of the businesses and the efforts by the Department of Health to really try to look at addressing this challenge,” said Jon Handlery, President, Handlery Hotel Union Square San Francisco. “I’ve been coming to the islands for over three decades. Hawaiʻi is the number one state that books visitors into my hotel, and so I have sort of a passion for Hawaiʻi and for what the local residents have done for us.”

“We’re happy to participate. We think this cause is phenomenal and we’re looking forward to seeing what I heard earlier about the number of people that are getting vaccinated. That’s the key,” said Handlery.