A group of Gwinnett state legislators are asking the county to offer financial incentives to people who take the COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to combat the spread of the delta variant.
State Sen. Nikki Merritt, D-Grayson, sent a letter Thursday to the county’s Board of Commissioners and encouraged them to use supplemental COVID-19 funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to cover the costs of paying people $100 each for taking the shot. Thirteen other Democratic Gwinnett legislators signed onto the letter.
Other metro Atlanta communities, including neighboring DeKalb County, have doled out dollars under similar incentive programs. More than 2,500 people turned out at a vaccine event at The Mall at Stonecrest offering $100 prepaid debit cards.
“If we can give everybody an incentive — those have been proven to work — I think that will help keep us all healthy and safe,” Merritt said.
Gwinnett County Commissioner Kirkland Carden told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he read the letter as a sign of cooperation between state lawmakers and county officials to tackle issues.
Discussions around offering monetary incentives will come before the board “sometime soon,” Carden said. “We’ve seen what other communities have done. We’re looking at what we can do here and want to help with that,” he said.
“I think anything we do that gets more people vaccinated saves lives,” said state Rep. Rebecca Mitchell, D-Snellville, who has a background in epidemiology. “Everything that we can do — especially when the funding is already there — behooves us to do it.”
In July, the CDC authorized supplemental COVID-19 funding to local governments, which they can use to provide financial incentives of up to $100 per person to encourage vaccination. The legislators sent the letter not to chastise Gwinnett officials but to ensure they’re aware of the available funds, Merritt said.
Carden said the incentive could convince people to take vaccination off the back burner. “Money is a great motivator for people,” he said.
Vaccine hesitancy caused by misinformation, government mistrust and fear of side effects continue to deter some people from taking the shot, said state Rep. Jasmine Clark, D-Lilburn. “Misinformation breeds uncertainty. And once you have enough uncertainty, it’s really hard to take an active step,” Mitchell said.
Clark said she’s unsure if an incentive would cause staunch vaccine opponents to rethink their position, but she hopes it pushes people who are waiting to go ahead and do it.
“I think incentives are an active way of getting more people vaccinated by telling them, ‘You get something for playing your part in our public health response,’” Clark said.
The letter drafted by Merritt only included signatures from Democratic members of Gwinnett’s legislative delegation. Merritt didn’t pass it to Republican members of the delegation, as she was unsure about their stance on incentives, she said.
State Sen. Clint Dixon, R-Gwinnett, told the AJC in a statement that he encourages all Georgians to consult with their doctor about taking the shot. Vaccinated himself, he said he supports the vaccine but not financial incentives.
“... I do not support tax dollars being used this way,” Dixon wrote. “Instead of throwing tax dollars around, I suggest those dollars be returned to hardworking taxpayers to help them keep up with the rising cost of living, thanks to Biden inflation.”
As of September 16, 57% of Gwinnett County residents had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to Georgia’s Department of Public Health’s vaccine dashboard. Only 51% of residents were fully vaccinated.
Chad Wasdin, spokesperson for the Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale County Health Departments, said the department supports any incentives or programs that help “move the needle” on someone’s decision to take the vaccine.
The health department expects demand for vaccines to soar if booster shots become recommended for the general public, Wasdin said. The department encourages anyone who plans to get vaccinated to go ahead and do it in case long wait times return, he said.
“The best time to get vaccinated was March. The second-best time is right now,” Mitchell said. “We need to focus on the right now.”
