Houston Will Pay $100 to Anyone Receiving First Covid Vaccine Dose

Aug 17 (Reuters) – Anybody who receives the first dose of a COVID vaccine before the end of August in the county that encompasses Houston will receive $100, the county’s top elected official said on Tuesday.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the measure was needed to boost vaccination rates in an effort to combat a fourth COVID surge ignited by the Delta variant. Houston’s hospitals on Tuesday reported they had more COVID patients now than at any point before in the pandemic.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas, Editing by Franklin Paul)