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Some guy in California named Tony is $50K richer because he got vaccinated

By Lisa Fernandez
Published  June 10, 2021 1:17pm PDT
Coronavirus Vaccine
KTVU FOX 2

2 Vax for the Win winners still not found

California is looking for two people who won the Vax for the Win lottery

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Some guy in California named Tony is $50,000 richer because he got vaccinated.

That's because he was one of the ‘Vax for the Win’ vaccine lottery winners last week, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom's office, which tweeted a video of him saying how grateful he was for the cash.

"It’s been a rough year, a year and a half, for me and everyone else out there," Tony said on the video. "So it’s nice to have this extra money come in."

He also said he didn't believe that he won at first. 

"I got the call last Friday," he said. "At first, I thought it was a joke, so I ignored it." 

SEE ALSO: Two California $50K vaccine lottery winners have not been found

The highly produced video clip shows him embracing his dog, holding a wine glass full of orange juice and getting his shot at a drive-thru clinic. It's not clear where Tony lives and he never said how he was going to spend the money. 

"I'm so grateful," he said, adding that he is still in disbelief. 

By Thursday, only 13 of the total 15 winners have come forward so far, and none have been formally identified by the state. 

Winners are only identified through the county in which they live, which included people from Mendocino, San Francisco, Alameda, Santa Clara, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange and San Luis Obispo.

The state has a database for all vaccination records and the state Department of Health will contact winners by telephone, text, email or other contact information associated with the person’s record in the state’s vaccine registry.

Tony is the first glimpse of who won the prize, in a nationwide effort to get as many people vaccinated against COVID-19 as possible. 

The next lottery drawing is Friday. 

Then, on June 15, when the state fully reopens, 10 people who've already had their vaccines will be selected to win $1.5 million each.

Winners must complete their vaccination in order to claim their prize. 

If someone under 18 wins, the cash will be put in a savings account for them until they turn 18. 

For more information about Vax for the Win, please visit https://covid19.ca.gov/vax-for-the-win.