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White House and Dating Apps Collaborate to Encourage COVID-19 Vaccinations

Steven Li, MD
Steven Li is a medical professional with a passion for lifelong learning and spreading truth to the world. He specializes in the fields of health and science.
Prakash Gogoi
Prakash covers news and politics for Vision Times.
Published: May 25, 2021
U.S. dating apps are now offering incentives for people who have received COVID-19 vaccine shots.
U.S. dating apps are now offering incentives for people who have received COVID-19 vaccine shots. (Image: pixel2013 via Pixabay CC0 1.0)

In an initiative announced on May 21 by White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt at a press briefing, the White House will be collaborating with popular dating apps to promote Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations.

Slavitt said that dating sites such as Bumble, OkCupid, BLK, Hinge, Tinder, Plenty of Fish, Badoo, and Chispa will introduce “a series of features to encourage vaccinations.” These websites cater to more than 50 million people in the United States. According to OkCupid, people who include vaccination status on their profiles have a 14 percent higher chance of matching.

“These dating apps will now allow vaccinated people to display badges which show their vaccination status, filter specifically to see only people who are vaccinated, and offer premium content — details of which I cannot get into, but apparently, they include things like boosts and super swipes. The apps will also help people locate places to get vaccinated,” Slavitt said at the press briefing.

According to an Axios report, the dating websites have announced the following plans:

  • Tinder users will get stickers that say “Vaccines Save Lives” or “Getting Vaxxed.” Vaccinated people will get a “Super Like” that increases the likelihood of them being seen by a desired match.
  • OkCupid users can add a profile badge saying “I’m Vaccinated.” They will get a free “boost” and can choose to be paired with other vaccinated individuals.
  • Chispa, a dating site for Latinos, will have a “Vacundo” badge and offer a free “boost” to all users who are vaccinated.
  • BLK, a “dating app for Black singles,” will give a free “boost” and allow users to display a “Vaxified” badge on profiles.

Bumble, Badoo, Plenty of Fish, Hinge, and Match, will also be implementing similar features on their platforms.

State incentives

State governments are also announcing local vaccine incentives. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo is offering a free lottery ticket to every person who gets a jab. The lottery program, called “Vax and Scratch,” is open to all New York citizens who get vaccinated from any of the 10 mass vaccination centers throughout the state between May 24 and May 28.

The first prize winner gets $5 million. “If you were undecided about getting a vaccine or dubious about getting a vaccine, now you have an added bonus… You have a one in nine chance of winning the lottery,” Cuomo said in a statement.

In Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan launched a two million dollar lottery program with a $400,000 grand prize and forty $40,000 cash awards for any state resident who has been vaccinated. The lottery program runs from May 25 to July 3, and $40,000 is awarded to a citizen every day. On July 4, the winner of the grand prize will be announced.

In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine announced five lottery drawings awarding one million dollars to a winner every week. After the lotteries were announced on May 13, vaccination rates in the state among people over 16 years old increased by over 28 percent.

Governor Tony Evers was against the idea, saying that the money could be used elsewhere and that he would likely not facilitate a lottery in Wisconsin. “I just question the use of that money for that purpose. I think there’s a lot of businesses and others across the state that have suffered dramatically and a million dollars would go a long way here in Wisconsin,” he said to reporters.

Vaccine propaganda

Despite a high average survival rate of 98.2 percent, which factors in mortality rates from high-risk populations, vaccine acceptance propaganda and Big Tech censorship have led many to believe that vaccines are the only way forward. However, a recent study found that nearly 70 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations could be attributed to existing conditions and could be significantly reduced through lifestyle modifications. 

Reports of heart inflammation in young individuals after vaccination have also surfaced around the world. Moreover, the two most popular vaccines being distributed in America, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are still in clinical trials. Reuters reports the “estimated study completion date” of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is Jan. 31, 2023, and the completion date for Moderna is Oct. 27, 2022.

In late April, 36 percent of the U.S. Marine Corps had declined vaccination, according to a CNN report. The declination rate for Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, a major Marine base, was 67 percent. Of the 37,200 troops in the II Marine Expeditionary Force at the camp, 23,900 opted out of vaccination.

With reporting by Prakash Gogoi.