Thank you to the more than 558,000 Fijians who have come forward to receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

We are now on pace to fully vaccinate over 95% of eligible adults in Fiji.

That would make us one of the world’s most-vaccinated nations. But we are not competing against the world — this is not the Olympics. Our only opponent is the virus. And to beat it, I want us to vaccinate as many Fijians as we possibly can.

The overwhelming scientific evidence backing the safety and efficacy of vaccines gives everyone good reason to be vaccinated. I believe that every Fijian who has taken the time to follow the science by registering, showing up, and getting both jabs deserves a shot at a reward.

That is the spirit behind our new “Win Together Sweepstakes”, a national vaccine lottery that enters fully-vaccinated Fijians into regular draws to win cash prizes.

To kick-start the Win Together Sweepstakes, the first draw will be for $8,000 on the seventh of September to coincide with the 8th anniversary of our Constitution.

The lottery is open to all fully-vaccinated Fijians living in Fiji. In other words, you must have received two doses of the vaccine at the time of the application, and you must be a citizen of Fiji.

To apply, everyone needs to provide their birth registration number or citizenship number, their first and last name, their date of birth, Tax Identification Number, and the date and site of your second vaccination, which you can find on your vaccine card. You also need to consent to be part of the sweepstakes lottery and for your vaccine records to be verified.

Once you have that information ready, you can dial *166# to enter the Win Together Sweepstakes, can find the details of the registration process on the Fijian Government Facebook page and website, and radio announcements.

The application window for the first draw is open from today at 5 pm until Tuesday morning at 5 am. That means you have 60 hours to register, with a strict limit of one application per phone.

Applications from persons who have received only the first dose will not be considered. I know many of you have not yet had the chance to be fully vaccinated. But don’t worry, there will be more chances to register for future draws in the coming weeks once you are fully vaccinated.

The second draw will be on 10 October — Fiji Day — with $51,000 in prize money in recognition of Fiji’s 51st anniversary of independence. We’ll announce more draw dates and prizes in the month of October.

As I’ve said before, the ultimate prize in this vaccine lottery isn’t cash — it is the lives that we’ll save and the sense of normalcy that can be restored for all of us.

Let’s get going Fiji, and let’s win our long-awaited victory over this terrible virus together.

Vinaka Vakalevu. Thank you. And God bless you all.

Feedback: rosi.doviverata@fijisun.com.fj