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Chattanooga students can get $100 for a COVID-19 vaccine in latest effort to protect young people

Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Chatt State basketball player Trenton Gresham is given his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by Lifespring director of nursing Jill Fikkert during a student vaccination event at Chattanooga State Community College on Friday in Chattanooga. The event, put on by the city in partnership with Lifespring, was the first of a new incentive program offering students 12 and up $100 to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Chatt State basketball player Trenton Gresham is given his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine by Lifespring director of nursing Jill Fikkert during a student vaccination event at Chattanooga State Community College on Friday in Chattanooga. The event, put on by the city in partnership with Lifespring, was the first of a new incentive program offering students 12 and up $100 to get vaccinated for COVID-19.

By Wyatt Massey August 21, 2021 5 min read

The latest initiative from the “Get Vaccinated Chattanooga” campaign aims to get shots in the arms of the youngest eligible people in the area with a special incentive.

At Chattanooga State Community College on Friday, dozens of students and community members filed through the doors of the gymnasium to get their shots and receive a $50 gift card. The campaign is providing the cards for each dose for middle school, high school and college students in an effort to get more young people vaccinated.

Children ages 12 and older became eligible for the vaccine – Pfizer-BioNTech only – later in the pandemic, and the vaccination rate among younger residents trails other age groups.

As of Friday, 36% of Hamilton County residents ages 12 to 15 and 42% of residents ages 16 to 20 had received at least one dose, according to data from the county health department. The two age groups have the lowest vaccination rates in the county.