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- NYC is offering $100 to anyone who goes to a city-run site to get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- The new vaccine incentive was announced Wednesday amid increased concerns over the the Delta variant.
- About 41% of NYC residents still haven't gotten the shot, according to city data.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
New York City announced on Wednesday that anyone can receive $100 if they get the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at any city-run vaccination clinic. The incentive begins on Friday.
-NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) July 28, 2021
The announcement of a new vaccine incentive comes amid increasing concern over the spread of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. The Centers for Disease Control announced yesterday that even fully vaccinated people should wear a mask in areas with "substantial or high transmission" of the virus.
According to a map from the CDC, all five of New York City's counties have "substantial" levels of community transmission, meaning the new recommendations apply in the city.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that city workers must get the vacccine by September 13th or be subjected to weekly COVID-19 testing.
According to data from the Citywide Immunization Registry, 40.8% of New York City residents remain unvaccinated; 59.2% of all residents have received at least one dose.
Insider previously spoke to several top economists who proposed a similar idea -- a $1,000 "vaccine stimulus" to combat vaccine hesitancy.
"If we somehow don't get to true immunity, our economy will be operating with a huge weight on its chest," Robert Litan, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who served in the Bill Clinton administration, told Insider in November.
Click this link to locate a vaccination site in New York City.