$75 Incentive In Worcester At COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

WORCESTER, MA — The state Department of Public Health is offering a pretty sweet deal: get vaccinated against a deadly disease and walk away with $75.

The state will be giving out the $75 gift cards at COVID-19 vaccine clinics in Worcester in the coming weeks. Anyone who gets either a booster shot or a first COVID-19 vaccine dose will be able to get a gift card.

Right now, Worcester's Division of Public Health and local nonprofits are offering regular vaccine clinics featuring the new COVID-19 bivalent booster that guards against omicron and its variants.

Here are the dates, times and locations where you can get a vaccine or booster and a $75 gift card:

Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square

• Noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 12 and Nov. 19

Worcester Central Community Branch YMCA, 766 Main St.

• 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 31, Nov. 7, Nov. 14, Nov. 21 and Nov. 28

Quinsigamond Community College, Harrington Learning Center, Room 107A, 670 West Boylston St.

• 2 to 7 p.m. on Nov. 7

About 84 percent of Massachusetts residents have been vaccinated against COVID-19, although booster rates lag at about 50 percent, according to DPH. COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses like influenza tend to flourish in the winter months due to people gathering indoors — which means October is a good time to get vaccinated before the holidays and snow arrives.

"These boosters are tailored to the most common variants of the virus and have been proven safe and effective for adults and children. If you’ve been thinking about getting the vaccine, now is the time," DPH Commissioner Margaret Cooke said in a news release.

If you can't get to one of the Worcester clinics, the state is offering clinics with $75 gift cards at dozens of sites across the state. Find all the locations here.