Desserts, doughnuts and cash: KY businesses offer perks to get COVID-19 vaccine
For weeks, Gov. Andy Beshear and health professionals have been encouraging Kentuckians to get a COVID-19 vaccine to protect themselves and others from the virus that has killed more than 6,400 people in the state.
More than 1.7 million Kentuckians have answered the call, but that leaves another 2.8 million who still need some encouragement. To help the cause, many retail businesses and employers eager for Beshear to lift most of the remaining coronavirus restrictions (he has promised to do so once 2.5 million Kentuckians get the vaccine) have decided to sweeten the decision to get vaccinated.
Freebies for those vaccinated include dessert-on-a-stick from White Castle, glazed doughnuts from Krispy Kreme and lamination of vaccination cards from Staples and Office Depot.
The Cincinnati Reds, whose home games are an economic boon for Northern Kentucky, are offering discounted tickets and a Louisville sports team recently gave away game tickets to those getting the shot.
Some businesses, including Kroger and Tractor Supply, are offering their employees paid leave time and bonuses to get the vaccine. Appalachian Regional Healthcare has set up a bonus competition among its facilities for its employees to get vaccinated.
Retail giant Amazon announced Thursday it is launching COVID-19 vaccinations for more than 18,000 front-line employees in Kentucky at 20 sites. It has been offering an incentive of up to $80 for employees who were vaccinated off-site.
Meanwhile, some independent pharmacists are taking the vaccine to the people, going to restaurants, factories and other businesses to provide what Beshear calls the “shot of hope.”
Jennifer Groves and her husband, Erik Groves, are pharmacists who own four drug stores in Kentucky.
“We have been going to businesses where people are having a hard time getting off to get the vaccine,” Groves said. “Places like restaurants, factories, car dealerships. We give shots to staffers and their family members.”
More incentives coming soon
“The governor has successfully called on community and business leaders to offer vaccine incentives. They have responded with time-off and direct and competitive bonuses for employees who get vaccinated,” said Beshear spokesman Sebastian Kitchen. “More incentive announcements will be coming soon from the commonwealth as well as from several major companies and organizations.
In the last couple of weeks, the pace of vaccinations has waned.
A Lexington Herald-Leader analysis of data from the Kentucky Department of Public Health shows that 172,018 Kentuckians got vaccinated the week of March 15-22 — a record weekly high. For the week of April 19-26, that number was down to 61,150.
“We’ve got to hit the singles and doubles,” said Beshear in pushing for more vaccinations. “We have to adjust our expectations for what we are going to get every week.” He said mid-week at a vaccination site in Henderson that efforts must be made to “meet people where they are.”
Beshear is encouraging businesses to be more creative in offering vaccine incentives. “They know the disruption that a COVID outbreak could cause in the workplace,” he said.
Beshear’s press office did not respond to a Lexington Herald-Leader question about West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s financial incentive to get young people to roll up their sleeves for the shot. Justice plans to use about $27.5 million from the federal 2020 CARES Act to give a $100 savings bond to each West Virginian ages 16 to 35 who gets vaccinated. His plan is retroactive.
Justice told The Washington Post that he knows there will be some who criticize his plan. “But if I’m able to pull this off and we are able to shut this down for the small price of $27.5 million … I would tell those critics to kiss my butt.”
Kentucky businesses are trying to help increase the state’s vaccination rate, said Katie Shanks, vice president of public affairs for the Kentucky Chamber. The business organization partners with more than 80 local chambers in the state, consisting of about 25,000 business people.
“Businesses are eager to encourage their employees to get vaccinated. We know companies across the state are offering employees time off work and assistance getting appointments to ensure a safe and efficient process and some are incentivizing their workforce with monetary rewards for helping Kentucky get back on track,” Shanks said.
Shanks said the business organization is surveying its members about their vaccine incentives and may have information on that next week.
A freebies fest and bonuses
Many businesses are offering freebies and discounts for vaccinated customers.
White Castle restaurants are offering free dessert-on-a-stick to customers with proof of vaccination.
The burger chain is offering four versions of the dessert through May 31: Gooey Buttercake-on-a-Stick, Fudge Dipped Brownie-on-a-Stick, Fudge Dipped Cheesecake-on-a-Stick and Birthday Cake-on-a-Stick. No purchase is necessary.
“This ‘vax for snacks’ effort is just another way to support our communities as we make our way through this pandemic,” Jamie Richardson, a vice president at White Castle, said in a statement. “Our desire is for all of our friends, neighbors and Cravers near and far to enjoy good health. For those getting vaccinated we are here to celebrate with you!”
Krispy Kreme is presenting to those who’ve had a COVID-19 shot a free Original Glazed® doughnut every day with proof of vaccination through the end of 2021. No purchase is necessary.
Krispy Kreme also is giving employees up to four hours of paid time off for each COVID-19 vaccination. Other businesses providing paid time off to employees who get vaccinated include Best Buy, Target, Trader Joe’s and Dollar General.
Vaccinated persons can get their inoculation cards laminated for free at Staples and Office Depot through July 25.
Employees of Tractor Supply are in line for $50 and time off to get vaccinated and Kroger is offering a $100 bonus to its vaccinated workers.
Appalachian Regional Healthcare, a not-for-profit health care system with headquarters in Lexington and 11 hospitals in Eastern Kentucky and two in West Virginia, is rewarding those among its 6,000 employees who get vaccinated with bonuses ranging from $200 to $500 when a location reaches a designated percentage of vaccinated employees.
“Our goal is to get to 70-plus percent of our employees at each location vaccinated by June 25,” said Melissa Cornett, a spokeswoman for the health system.
Sports teams push the vaccine
The Cincinnati Reds are offering view-level tickets for $10 to fans who show their COVID-19 vaccination card with at least one shot completed. The offer is valid in person at the ticket windows at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati for Monday-Thursday games through the end of May, subject to availability.
The tickets usually cost $52 for two. The discount allows a maximum of six tickets to be purchased with each vaccine card shown.
Racing Louisville Football Club, a National Women’s Soccer League expansion team in Louisville, offered a pop-up vaccination site April 26 to its fans. By taking the shot, they could get in free to the game or receive a voucher for a future game.
More than 50 fans got the shots, said Jonathan Lintner, the team’s vice president of communications. He said the team was considering more vaccination offers.
Kentuckians can visit vaccinemap.ky.gov to find a COVID-19 vaccination site near where they live.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 1:50 PM.
