West Virginia is practically bribing its youngest adults to get their COVID-19 vaccine as rates have slowed.

Residents between 16 and 35 years old will receive a $100 savings bond after their shot, Gov. Jim Justice announced Monday, calling on people to sign up as soon as possible “if we want to really move this needle.”

“They’re not taking the vaccines as fast as we’d like them to take them,” Johnson said at a press conference.

West Virginia led the country in a speedy vaccine rollout earlier in the year, but the state’s numbers have slowed considerably. About 52% of the population has received at least one dose so far.

West Virginia residents between 18 and 35 will receive a $100 savings bond for getting their vaccine. (STEPHEN ZENNER/)

“If we can get to 70%, we’ll shut this virus down,” Justice said. “If we do that, the masks go away, the hospitalizations go away, and the deaths become minimal.”

The payouts will come from the state’s CARES Act fund, a plan the governor said was properly vetted.

“Our kids today probably don’t really realize just how important they are in shutting this thing down,” Justice said.

“I’m trying to come up with a way that’s truly going to motivate them — and us — to get over the hump.”

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