The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) on Tuesday, August 10 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 on the evening newscast of Albuquerque television station KOAT.
The Vax 2 the Max sweepstakes awarded $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. Altogether, 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 New Mexico's vaccination rates. In the first week of August, New Mexico has registered a 25 percent increase in vaccinations compared to the weekly average in July.
The state projects that number to increase to more than 30 percent when all vaccinations are ported. New Mexico is also seeing significant increases in vaccinations among Blacks/African-Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and 12- to 17-year-olds, as well as in every region of the state.
All New Mexicans 12 years old and older 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 the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - will 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 percent of New Mexicans 18 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 65.5 percent of New Mexicans 18 and older have completed their vaccination series.
Given the rapid rise and spread of the Delta variant - which is two to four times more transmissible than previous variants - NMDOH encourages New Mexicans to get vaccinated as quickly as possible.