‘It’s shocking.’ She just won $1 million in Kentucky’s vaccine incentive program.

Rayleigh Deaton
·2 min read
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Ginger Schultz of Louisville is the second Kentuckian to win $1 million in the state’s Shot at a Million vaccine incentive program.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” Shultz said when Gov. Andy Beshear presented her with the check Friday during a Capitol news conference. “It’s shocking. You just don’t really think you’re gonna win.”

Kentuckians who have received at least one dose of the Moderna or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines, or the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are eligible to enter. The first giveaway was at the end of June and a third winner will be announced at the end of August.

The giveaway comes as the Delta variant of the virus is spreading rapidly through the state. Kentucky reported 1,618 new coronavirus cases on Thursday and two additional deaths, bringing the totals to 481,001 cases and 7,327 deaths. The vast majority of new cases are among people who haven’t received a vaccine.

As of Friday, 2,291,046 people, or 52 percent of the state’s population, have been vaccinated.

Schultz said she got the vaccine for her mother and husband, who both have breathing issues. She encouraged Kentuckians to get vaccinated and wear a mask. “It’s the right thing to do for yourself, for the people you love, the people you come in contact with,” Schultz said.

Beshear also congratulated five more students who each won a full-ride scholarship to a Kentucky public college, university, technical or trade school.

The winners included Shelby Anderson, 14, from Louisville; Isabella Brozark, 15, from Crestwood; TJ Ponder, 14, from Owenton; Reese Johnson, 17, from Harrodsburg; and Julian Sandberg, 14, from Ft. Mitchell.

“I got the vaccine to not only protect myself but my loved ones, my community around me,” Johnson said. “The vaccine to me is just a way to try and help things get back to normal.”

She said the scholarship will help her “kick-start” her dreams of attending the University of Kentucky and becoming a teacher.

The final Shot at a Million drawing will take place August 27, when the last $1 million winner and the remaining five scholarship winners will be selected.