Carrots and needle sticks
Memphis hopes popsicles will do trick
What's being offered to encourage you to get vaccinated.
Hoping to entice more Shelby County residents to get COVID-19 vaccines, the city of Memphis is offering sweet treats for people who get vaccinated Sunday at the Pipkin Building.
Everyone who gets a shot at the site between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. will get a treat from MEMPOPS, as well as protection from a deadly virus.
Spokesperson Arlenia Cole said the city was working with local organizations on plans to offer other treats and incentives to vaccine recipients in the future. Those will be announced at a later date.
Frozen confections are Memphis’ first offering to those who have yet to get a shot. Other municipalities and companies have been making their own pitches to the unvaccinated. Beer, baseball tickets and the ambiance of a 13th Century cathedral are among the inducements on offer.
The Pipkin vaccination site this week was expanded thanks to an infusion of federal funds and personnel. The site, co-administered by the city of Memphis and the federal government, can give out up to 3,000 vaccine shots each day.
Cole confirmed the city, not the federal government, would pay for the pops.
In addition to giveaways, Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris is recruiting COVID-19 “ambassadors,” people age 16 and older who, among other things, will encourage others to get vaccinated.
“One of the more important things we can do, in addition to taking the shot ourselves,” Harris said, “is to encourage our friends, our neighbors and our loved ones to take the vaccine.”
Some influential Bluff City residents have already taken it upon themselves to encourage other Memphians to get vaccinated.
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. last month posted a photo of him getting a shot with the words “Roll up your sleeves everybody. For your friends, family & yourself.”
Pastor and legendary singer Al Green was pictured getting both his Moderna shots. He said he would encourage the members of his church to get vaccinated and told everyone “to get in line and take this.”
Harris, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and multiple members of the Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission have also shared photos or stories of their own vaccinations, encouraging others to follow suit.
‘We’ll buy your first beer back’
Communities and organizations across the country and around the world have been exploring ways to encourage everyone who is able to get vaccinated to do so, or at least make the process easier and more enjoyable.
In Salisbury, England, some vaccinations are being done inside the city’s historic cathedral, accompanied by organ music. The cathedral has even begun taking requests from people who want certain pieces played when they show up for their shot.
The city of New Orleans created a Carnival-inspired, “Sleeves-up, NOLA” campaign telling people to get their shots if they wanted to get the good times rolling again.
And the Biden administration has launched a national ad campaign encouraging people to get vaccinated, including a TV ad with Willie Nelson singing a cover of “I’ll Be Seeing You” targeted at sports fans.
Individual sports teams and companies are getting in on the action, too, offering freebies or deals to people who have been vaccinated.
The Cincinnati Reds this week offered discounted single-game tickets to fans with COVID-19 vaccine cards showing they had completed at least one shot.
Krispy Kreme is offering a free glazed doughnut to anyone who flashes a vaccine card showing at least one completed shot.
Ridesharing services Uber and Lyft are offering free rides to vaccination sites and Staples, Officedepot and Officemax stores are offering to laminate those all-important vaccine cards for free through July 25.
Sam Adams is starting a promotion on April 12 offering $7 — enough to buy a beer at your favorite local bar — to people who share photos of their vaccine stickers or bandaids on social media.
“Sam Adams hopes drinkers will get back to supporting the bars and restaurants they love,” the company said on its website. “So if you get vaccinated against COVID-19, we’ll buy your first beer back!”