Annapolis Woman Wins $40,000 VaxCash Prize

An Annapolis woman is the latest winner to claim a $40,000 prize in the $2 Million VaxCash Promotion.

Santana Portillo Dominguez became eligible for the prize when she received her COVID-19 vaccination at the beginning of the year.

For the 40-year-old eldercare professional, getting vaccinated was a simple decision due to her work. She said the care she provides at an area senior living center took on extra meaning when pandemic restrictions forced the facility to close to the public, preventing residents’ families from visiting.

“The patients at the center were isolated because of the pandemic, so our jobs became more important,” Dominguez said.

When workers at her facility were encouraged to receive the vaccine early this year, she sought it out immediately.

“Some coworkers were unsure, but I wasn’t going to be afraid to get vaccinated,” Dominguez said.

Although it wasn’t her motivation for getting a COVID-19 shot, Dominguez now has a $40,000 prize as a result of her decision to protect herself and others.

Dominguez, the 19th winner selected during the $2 Million VaxCash Promotion, said she plans to invest her prize.

The VaxCash Promotion, announced by Governor Larry Hogan on May 20, is a collaboration of the Maryland Lottery and the Maryland Department of Health, aimed at incentivizing Marylanders who have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccinations while rewarding those who have. All Maryland residents 18 and older who have received a COVID-19 shot at a non-Federal facility in Maryland at any time are automatically entered into daily drawings being held from May 25 through July 4.

Each day through July 3, one winner will receive a $40,000 prize, and the promotion culminates on the Fourth of July when one winner will receive a $400,000 prize.