Tesla Car, Gold Bars & High-End Apartment: Hong Kong Govt Announces Perks To Boost Vaccination

With gold bars, a diamond Rolex, and a $100,000 shopping spree already up for consideration, residents of Hong Kong may now stand a chance to win a Tesla car or even an apartment in the world’s most expensive property market simply by being vaccinated. 

As the delta variant spreads over the world, pleas for people to get vaccination are becoming more urgent than ever. Governments and private businesses are experimenting with a variety of strategies to encourage people to get immunised. 

Although the evidence for such giveaway techniques being useful is still shaky, the objective is to provide a much-needed boost to individuals who are postponing their inoculation. 

However, in Hong Kong, the number of inhabitants properly vaccinated against Covid-19 has increased by almost 2 million people in the previous seven weeks, coinciding with the implementation of several other private-sector incentives. 

Where evidence suggests an increase, the reasons for this are difficult to explain. However, most experts think that incentives are worth pursuing because history has shown that health messages alone are insufficient. 

Shots are available in Hong Kong, and they’re free for everyone under the age of 12. However, owing to a lack of faith in the Beijing-backed leadership and concerns about side effects, the rollout has been hampered. After struggling to persuade hesitant citizens in a climate of suspicion following large anti-China protests in 2019, the Beijing-backed administration is now relying on local businesses and organisations to assist people get vaccinated. 

Over 1 million citizens who were fully vaccinated entered a drawing for a new $1.4 million apartment, a 449 square-foot one-bedroom flat, sponsored by Sino Group and Chinese Estates. 

Local business leaders, eager to ensure that the city does not fall behind as other financial hubs emerge, have responded with a slew of incentives. Daily lotteries for some of the smaller prizes, such as iPhones, began in July, with the larger prizes to be revealed in August and September.