RALEIGH, N.C. — We now know the third winner of North Carolina’s vaccine lottery.
Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday during his COVID-19 briefing, 18-year-old Audrey Chavous, of Winston-Salem, won the $1 million prize.
Chavous said she was in “pure shock” when she learned she’d won. She didn’t believe it at first.
“I honestly didn’t think it was a real thing. I first thought it was spam mail,” she said.
She plans to save most of the money, put some toward school, invest some, and give herself a shopping spree.
She encouraged others to get vaccinated to protect themselves.
“Listen to science. Listen to the facts and get vaccinated,” Chavous said.
The state is still trying to get in touch with the third $125,000 scholarship winner. They have a 30-day window to reach the winner.
There have been three winners from the Triad so far.
State health leaders are urging everyone to get vaccinated amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. They hope incentives like the vaccine lottery and $100 prepaid gift cards will improve vaccine rates.
A recap of the governor's last briefing:
During his briefing last week, Cooper announced all state workers need to get vaccinated or participate in weekly testing. The policy starts on September 1 and affects thousands of employees around the state.
Workers who don't comply could lose their jobs. Cooper said it's up to each state department agency to determine the appropriate disciplinary action.
Religious and medical exemptions apply, but those workers will still need to get tested weekly.
Those who choose not to get vaccinated must also wear masks. The executive order says state agencies can require masks for vaccinated people too.
Cooper encouraged local health departments to implement similar policies.
The City of Greensboro offered workers eight hours of paid leave to get vaccinated, but they haven't required it yet.
The governor also pushed private businesses to help get people vaccinated. Cooper said he hopes businesses across the state will make vaccinations mandatory for their employees.
Cooper updated the state's recommendations for when to wear masks in schools. He said masks should be worn in all K-12 schools, but he's leaving that decision to the districts. Guilford County, Winston-Salem Forsyth County, Alamance-Burlington Schools, Lexington City Schools and Montgomery County are all requiring masks for students and staff. Stokes County, Randolph County, Davidson County and Wilkes County voted to make masks optional.
COVID-19 in North Carolina:
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 3,413 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday - that's the highest the daily case count has been since late February. The positivity rate was 12.2%, which is more than double the state's goal of 5%.
As of Wednesday, 1,580 people are fighting COVID-19 in North Carolina hospitals. It's the 24th-straight increase in hospitalizations and more than a 100 patient jump from the previous day. The state said the overwhelming majority of people in the hospital are unvaccinated.
NCDHHS said 50% of the state has at least one dose of the vaccine. Forty-seven percent of eligible people are fully vaccinated, according to the state's vaccine dashboard. Health experts say states should aim to have at least 70% of their population vaccinated.
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