SANTA FE - The New Mexico Department of Health on Tuesday announced that William Romero of Los Alamos County is the winner of the $5 million Vax 2 the Max grand prize.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the winner Tuesday evening on the Albuquerque television station KOAT.
The Vax 2 the Max sweepstakes awarded a total of $10 million in cash prizes - as well as a series of other prizes - to vaccinated New Mexicans throughout the summer. This was reportedly the largest vaccination incentive program in the U.S., and was cited by President Biden as notably successful in recent remarks. A total of 571,687 New Mexicans participated in the sweepstakes, which successfully halted a decrease in vaccination numbers early in the summer.
The ongoing $100 “Stay Ahead” vaccination incentive campaign continues to significantly boost vaccination rates. In the first week of August, New Mexico has registered a 25% increase in vaccinations over the weekly average for July. The state projects that number to rise above 30% when all vaccinations are reported. New Mexico is also seeing significant increases in vaccinations among Blacks/African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and 12-17-year-olds, as well as in every region of the state.
All New Mexicans 12+ are eligible to participate in the $100 vaccination campaign between August 2 and August 31. Any dose - a first or second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, or a single shot of J&J - will qualify. To qualify for the $100 incentive, New Mexicans must register at vaccineNM.org - though they can receive their actual vaccination dose at any provider in the state.
As of Monday, August 9, 74.1% of New Mexicans 18+ have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 65.5% of New Mexicans 18+ have completed their vaccination series.
Given the rapid rise and spread of the Delta variant - which is two-four times more transmissible than previous variants - DOH encourages New Mexicans to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.