Thai town is in the mood for vaccinations after receiving cattle for a raffle.

Photo Credit ( Freepik )

In BangkokIn an effort to support the local COVID-19 vaccination program, a district in northern Thailand has started a lottery campaign wherein vaccinated people will have the chance to win a live cow every week for the remainder of the year.

Starting next month, a lucky villager in Chiang Mai province’s Mae Chaem district will be selected at random each week to receive a young cow valued at approximately 10,000 baht ($319).

Since its announcement earlier this week, the 24-week program has been greeted with enthusiasm in the 43,000-person town.

Boonlue Thamtharanurak, the district chief, told Reuters, “In just a few days, our vaccine registration numbers have increased from hundreds to thousands.”

The locals adore cows. Cash can be obtained by selling cows.

According to Boonlue, nearly 4,000 members of priority groups—such as those over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions—have already signed up for their vaccinations.

As part of the government’s nationwide immunization campaign, the town will begin administering the shots on June 7.

Other Thai provinces have also devised innovative ways to increase registration, such as giving away gold necklaces, coupons for business discounts, or cash gifts.

Over 7 million people have enrolled thus far, and at least 1.64 million of Thailand’s 66 million people have already received their first doses.

The largest coronavirus outbreak to date has affected the Southeast Asian nation; in the last two months, the majority of the 119,585 cases and 703 fatalities have been reported.