Tesla for a jab? Hong Kong companies offer gifts to promote vaccination

As countries all over the world are focusing on vaccination drives in order to fight the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Hong Kong has come up with innovative and lucrative ways of getting more people to take the doses. One stands a chance to win a Tesla electric vehicle, among other things, if s/he gets a jab, Bloomberg reported.

The authorities of the Chinese special administrative region have partnered with the local businesses to offer shopping vouchers, lotteries and other attractive offers to encourage people to take the vaccine. Those who are fully vaccinated by 31 August 2021 stand a chance to win a Tesla Model 3 Long Range valued at over HK$500,000, the report stated. This prize is being offered by the local office of Australian industrial property firm Goodman via a lottery draw that will take place in September.

Tesla vehicles are quite popular in China and its administrative regions and can easily make for a great offer to woo people into getting vaccinated. The Model 3 Long Range version can deliver an EPA estimated range of 353 miles (568 km) and can sprint from 0-60 mph in just 3.1 seconds. The Model 3 is Tesla's popular and best-selling electric vehicle.

Others items included in lotteries being offered by the local businesses in Hong Kong include gold bars and iPhones. Some other companies, restaurants, and even some colleges have started offering vouchers, cash payouts and extra time off for employees who get vaccinated, the report stated. The government also announced measures such as paid leave for inoculated civil servants and possible additional restrictions for unvaccinated residents.

Hong Kong's vaccination drive needed the million-dollar push to overcome the sluggish inoculation rate. Out of the region's population of 7.5 million, only about 15.1% have been fully inoculated. The lower the number of people getting vaccinated, the slower would be the rate of reaching herd immunity.