San Antonio City Council Approves $ 100 HEB Gift Cards as Incentive for COVID-19 Vaccine

SAINT ANTHONY – EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story said Mayor Ron Nirenberg “abstained” from voting. It was “removed” from the item, which is now reflected in the following text.

The city of San Antonio will soon be offering $ 100 HEB gift cards to newly vaccinated COVID-19 residents.

The city council voted Thursday morning 9-1 to approve $ 1 million in grants to spend on up to 10,000 gift cards that will be handed out to people who complete their series of vaccinations at Metro Health vaccination sites. Although he did not give an exact date for when the cards would be available, San Antonio metropolitan health director Claude Jacob said they expect to release them by the end of the month.

Mayor Ron Nirenberg, whose wife works at HEB, withdrew from the issue and District 8 councilor Manny Pelaez voted against it.

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The cards will only be given to people who received their first shot after July 31, which Jacob told board members was based on what the “funder” (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would allow) ).

This means that those who were partially or fully vaccinated before July 31 cannot get the gift cards.

District 7 councilor Ana Sandoval acknowledged that there may be some people who were previously vaccinated and may not be happy with the city now using incentives.

“I want, at least, from this video screen, to thank all those people who went out voluntarily to get vaccinated, who spent time on their schedule. You have done the right thing to protect your health, that of your family and the community, ”Sandoval said. “We’re doing it to try to keep the community safe, because once these 10,000 people are vaccinated, our community will be much safer.”

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Pelaez was the only one who opposed the measure, citing an article he had read about medical ethics that argued, in part, that paying people to get vaccinated “is now more manipulative than it would be otherwise. way, “given the economic effects the pandemic has had on Americans.

“I feel like a paternalistic fact and he treats adults like children,” Pelaez told his board mates. “I think it will also reinforce in their minds that there is a risk: ‘Well, they pay me to do it, whereas if it wasn’t risky, they wouldn’t pay me.’”

Asked by KSAT after the meeting about ethical concerns, Jacob said: “After all, we understand that it is an ethical enigma, but this is really intended for those who choose to get vaccinated. This is an incentive, an opportunity to at least push them above the fence if they are thinking about it, if they are wondering about the value of getting vaccinated. “

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Although gift cards are not yet available, Jacob said the city does not recommend anyone to delay vaccination in hopes of getting it.

“This variant punishes procrastinators,” Jacob said.

Bexar County vaccination statistics are expected to be updated Thursday evening, but Jacob told reporters he believed current vaccination rates stood at more than 70 percent of the eligible population and are fully vaccinated and the 86.5% have received at least one dose.

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