The final winners of the state’s VaxMillions sweepstakes are a Leominster woman who plans to use the prize money to invest in her future and a Conway teen with a passion for music.
Gov. Charlie Baker’s office and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg on Thursday announced the fifth round of winners for the COVID-19 vaccine incentive giveaway. Since the program was first announced on June 15, more than 440,000 Massachusetts residents became fully vaccinated, they said in an announcement.
Department of Public Health data from Wednesday afternoon showed a total of 4,467,178 people in Massachusetts fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Leominster resident Cynthia Thirath claimed the final $1 million prize. The last $300,000 scholarship, the prize for entrants under the age of 18, went to Gretchen Selva, a sophomore at Four River Charter Public School in Greenfield. Selva has been playing guitar for more than three years and plans to attend a college focusing on music-writing and production, according to the administration.
In all, more than 2.5 million people signed up for the giveaway – 2.35 million adults and 167,000 youth between the ages of 12 and 17.
“The Vax Millions Giveaway was about more than winning a lottery. It was about motivating people to get the vaccine to protect your friends, neighbors, and loved ones,” Goldberg said in a statement. “This did in fact encourage thousands who were not yet vaccinated, and at the end of the day that is a win/win for everyone.”