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The Petersburg borough is offering $10,000 in prizes during June to encourage residents who are unvaccinated against COVID-19 to get the shot.

The Sleeves Up Petersburg drawing is sponsored by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, with money distributed through the Alaska Chamber of Commerce. It’s part of a campaign to increase the state’s vaccination rate by 25%.

“That’s the drive from the start, to increase our vaccination rate and get out of this pandemic,” said Petersburg Incident Commander Karl Hagerman. “Let’s get back to normal through vaccination.”

The drawing is open to permanent residents of Petersburg 12 or older.

Anyone who gets their first dose of a vaccine in June can put their name in the hat for the drawings, Hagerman said.

Three names will be drawn each day on June 4, 11, 18 and 25. Those 12 winners will each receive $500, and will be entered into another drawing for a chance to win more. On June 28, a $4,000 grand prize winner will be drawn.

Residents have the option to decide whether or not the borough can release their name to the public if they win one of the cash prizes. Hagerman said the goal of the program is to offer an extra push to residents who are undecided about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Announcing the name of the winners would add validation to the program and vaccinations.

To sign up for the drawing, visit http://www.psgcovidinfo.net/raffle.

As of last Friday, the state reported that 62% of Petersburg residents 12 and older had received at least their first dose of a vaccine. The rate in Wrangell was 59%. Skagway was among the leaders in the state at 78%, followed by Juneau and Yakutat at 74% each, and Sitka at 70%.

Ketchikan was at 60% as of last Friday.

At the Petersburg Medical Center board of directors meeting May 27, Liz Bacom, infection prevention and quality manager, said 25 people had signed up for vaccinations in just the first couple days of the Sleeves Up program.

“I’m just hoping for 100 new names, but it might get better than that, because these are pretty significant prizes,” Bacom said.