The benefits of vaccinating against Covid-19 – that is, protection against a dangerous virus – should be obvious at this stage of the pandemic.
If that is not enough motivation, consider the gain.
Companies in the United States and elsewhere are offering free merchandise and other things to people who receive doses of Covid. Perks include free rides, donuts, cash, arcade chips and even marijuana.
Behavioral motivation experts say that offering incentives is not necessarily the most effective or economical way to increase the absorption of the vaccine. But that did not stop the gifts from accumulating.
In Cleveland, Market Garden Brewery is offering 10-cent beers to the first 2,021 people who show a Covid-19 vaccine certificate. “Yes, you read that right,” says the brewery on its website. “Ten cents.”
At Walled Lake Greenhouse, a medical marijuana dispensary in Michigan, anyone 21 and older who gets a Covid vaccine can get a pre-laminated joint by the end of the month.
Chobani offers free yogurt at some vaccination sites. And Krispy Kreme said on Monday, which for the rest of the year, would give one glazed donut a day to anyone who provides proof of vaccination against Covid-19.
As vaccinations accelerated in the United States, “we made the decision that said, ‘Hey, we can support the next act of joy’, which is, if you come, show us a vaccination card, get a donut at any anytime, any day, every day, if you want, ”the company’s chief executive, Michael Tattersfield, told Fox News.
The Krispy Kreme initiative is unrelated to the “vaccinated donuts” that were sold last month by a bakery in Germany, garnished with plastic syringes that dispense sweet ginger-lemon amuse-bouche. Nor does it give vaccinated Americans the right to endless donuts, as Mr. Tattersfield seemed to suggest in his interview with Fox News – just one a day, as the company notes on its website.
In a promotion called “Tokens for Poke’ns,” Up-Down, a chain of bars with vintage arcade games, is offering $ 5 in free tokens to guests who present a completed vaccination card. Up-Down, which has six locations in five midwestern states, is extending the offer to guests who visit within three weeks of their final dose.
David Hayden, communications manager at Up-Down, said he came up with the idea while sitting in an observation room after receiving his own vaccine.
“It’s something we’ve been waiting for so long,” he said, adding that the token offering was a way to give customers something more to wait after being vaccinated.
Cleveland Cinemas, a cinema chain in Ohio, is offering a free 44-ounce popcorn at two of its locations to anyone who presents a vaccination card by April 30.
To encourage young people to get vaccinated, the city of Tel Aviv set up a mobile vaccination clinic in a bar last month and offered beer and injections of non-alcoholic peach juice to those who received the injection, reported The Times of Israel .
Presenting cards for so many promotions can cause some wear and tear. To protect the cards from damage, Staples is offering to laminate them for free after customers receive their final dose. The promotion runs until May 1st.
Some advantages of the vaccine flow from companies to their employees. Tyson Foods, Trader Joe’s and others pay for the time it takes to be vaccinated, while Kroger pays them a $ 100 bonus.
Other incentives target people in vulnerable groups. Uber, for example, has agreed to provide 10 million free or discounted travel to the elderly, essential workers and others in countries in North America, Europe and Asia to help them reach vaccination centers.
“Governments like these initiatives because they help them get more vaccines on more weapons,” said Chris Brummitt, a spokesman for the company in Singapore.
This may be true, but the science of motivating people to get vaccinated is complex.
“Behavioral suggestions” based on scientific observations may be a more economical way to persuade people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 than direct incentives, said Hengchen Dai, a professor of management at the University of California, Los Angeles. .
In a recent study, Dai and colleagues found that texting can increase your flu vaccine intake. The most effective texts were framed as reminders to take the photos that were already reserved for the patient. They also resembled the type of communication that patients expect to receive from healthcare professionals.
Jon Bogard, a UCLA graduate student who contributed to the study, said policymakers should proceed with caution about incentives, because sometimes the backfire backfires. One problem is that campaigns are expensive, he said. Another is that people who receive vaccines may see a strong incentive as a sign that “vaccines are more risky than they actually are”.
A better alternative, said Bogard, could be to distribute objects of “low personal value and high social value” – such as stickers and badges – that explore a broader sense of “social motivation and responsibility”.
There seems to be no shortage of these gifts circulating in hospitals and vaccination clinics around the world.
“Protected!” says a button that patients receive at a vaccination station in Hong Kong. Shows the fist of a cartoon syringe hitting a masked doctor.
At a secondary league baseball stadium in Hartford, Connecticut, people who get shot can get a “I got my Covid-19 vaccination” sticker with the home team mascot, a goat.
If you are not satisfied with the vaccine-related styling equipment at your local clinic, there are many options available for purchase online.
A badge – “I won my Fauci ouchi” – is a tribute to America’s best-known doctor, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci.
“Thank you, science,” says another.