BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday announced the winners of the state’s first “Mass VaxMillions” giveaway.
Darrell Washington, 63, was selected as the $1 million winner of the giveaway.
“It was rather important for me to get the vaccination because I have family members who have comorbidities and I just couldn’t imagine me being a host for the virus and then getting them sick and critically ill, and then possibly passing away,” the Blue Cross Blue Shield case manager said after being introduced by Baker. “Whether there is a booster, it doesn’t matter, I will take it.”
When asked how he plans to spend the money, Washington said that he will definitely be “doing good things with it.”
Daniela Maldonado, a 15-year-old student at Chelsea High School, was awarded a $300,000 scholarship grant for getting her vaccine.
Maldonado says she plans to use the scholarship to attend Boston University or the University of Massachusetts. She added that she is interested in studying world history or mathematics.
“I feel really happy for getting this opportunity,” Maldonado said. “We are a low income family so it was going to be hard for me to continue my education.”
Washington got his shots in April and Maldonado in May.
Both Washington and Maldonado said they initially thought they were being scammed when the state contacted them with the news.
There are still four more chances to win with drawings being held every Monday through Aug. 23.
Eligible residents can enter the giveaway at VaxMillionsGiveaway.com. For residents who do not have access to the internet or require assistance, a call center will be available to assist with the registration process. Workers will be available in English and Spanish, and 100 additional languages will be available through translators.
The live call center can be reached by calling 2-1-1 during the below hours:
- Monday-Thursday: 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Residents must be fully vaccinated before registering, but those who are not vaccinated by the registration date for a certain drawing will still have the opportunity to complete vaccination and register for subsequent drawings.
Residents only have to enter once to qualify for all drawings occurring after the date of their registration. As of Thursday, a total of 2.3 million people had registered.
“Massachusetts continues to out-perform virtually every state on vaccinations, and we look forward to the remaining drawings for the VaxMillions campaign as another way to encourage more residents to get vaccinated, in addition to innovative approaches like pop-up clinics and in-home vaccinations,” Baker said during the event.
There are hundreds of vaccination locations across the state, with appointments and walk-ins widely available.
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