‘Shot and a Beer’: New Jersey Launches Campaign to Encourage Vaccinations With Free Drinks

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The state of New Jersey is trying to encourage vaccinations with a new campaign featuring free beer.

Yes, really.

As of this posting, over 7 million doses of the covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the Garden State, and over 3 million residents have been fully vaccinated. Governor Phil Murphy announced “Operation Jersey Summer” on Monday, with the goal of getting 4.7 million New Jerseyans vaccinated by the end of June.

There are a number of walk-in vaccination sites in New Jersey, a call center to help residents set up appointments, and an effort to work directly with local religious leaders to help congregants get vaccines.

One rather notable aspect of New Jersey’s vaccine campaign is the “Shot and a Beer” program, which is exactly what it sounds like.

Murphy said during his Monday press conference the state is partnering with the Brewers Guild of New Jersey for a program that will allow residents “who get their first vaccine dose in the month of May” to get a free beer from several participating breweries in the state.

Murphy announced additional reopening measures Monday, including relaxing indoor capacity limits for restaurants and large venues.

“We feel confident we can do this safely because our numbers have trended decisively in the right direction over the last three weeks,” the governor said. “There is one thing we can do above all else to ensure our COVID numbers keep going down, especially as we reopen further: GET VACCINATED.”

Across the United States, over 100 million Americans in total have been fully vaccinated, including close to 70 percent of all seniors.