Key Takeaways

Here’s All the Free Stuff You Can Get With Your COVID Vaccine Card

How the Service Works

The administration partnered with four of the country’s largest childcare providers to offer services. Each company has a slightly different approach:

The number of participating childcare facilities near you may also be growing. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued new guidance encouraging states to use childcare funding from the American Rescue Plan to provide financial incentives to neighborhood- and home-based childcare providers to help out.

What This Means For YouYou can find all available incentives for COVID-19 vaccinationhere. If you’re not yet vaccinated, or want to help someone else get their shot, you can find available COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you onVaccines.gov.

What This Means For You

You can find all available incentives for COVID-19 vaccinationhere. If you’re not yet vaccinated, or want to help someone else get their shot, you can find available COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you onVaccines.gov.

Will Free Childcare Help?

“A service like this removes obstacles to getting vaccines, and it makes it easier to get vaccinated,” infectious disease expertAmesh A. Adalja, MD,senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, tells Verywell.

While many people were eager to get vaccinated when the COVID-19 vaccine first became available, others were hesitant or simply couldn’t find the time to get their shot. Adalja says offering childcare can help, particularly for people who may not have prioritized vaccination. “As we are increasingly hitting a wall with vaccination rates, it’s important to make it as convenient and hassle-free as possible,” he says.

How to Navigate the Decision To Get Your Child Vaccinated Against COVID

Richard Watkins, MD,an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University, agrees. “Anything that can make it more convenient for people to get vaccinated should be strongly encouraged,” he tells Verywell.

While experts applaud this childcare incentive, it isn’t perfect. Transportation to and from a vaccination site can also be a “major issue for many working parents,” Watkins says, although the administration is also offering free rides to and from vaccination appointments throughLyftandUber. Each program has a cap, though: Lyft cover rides to and from appointments up to $15 and Uber is offering rides up to $25. Those who live farther away from a vaccination site will still need to pay the remaining fee.

Will Incentives Encourage More People to Get COVID-19 Vaccines?

The program also may be tricky for parents who work non-traditional hours, like night shifts, Watkins adds.

Other Initiatives in the National Month of Action

Free child care isn’t the only perk the government is offering to try to get more people vaccinated. For the month of June, you can enjoy the following:

You Can Now Display Your COVID Vaccination Status on Dating Apps

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

2 Sources

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