Washington State Jail Offers Inmates Ramen Noodles To Get Vaccine

A jail in Washington state is offering inmates ramen noodles to get the coronavirus vaccine.

Staff at Benton County Jail, located in the city of Kennewick in southern Washington, offered packs of the instant noodles to inmates who sign up for their first COVID-19 shot, The Olympian reported.

The program, called “Soup for Shots,” has achieved results in the about three weeks since it was implemented on August 1.

On Sunday, the jail said it expected to distribute 900 packets of noodle soup to 90 inmates by Monday, according to Scott Souza, chief of corrections for the Benton County Corrections Department.

“We’re doing everything we can do to incentivize vaccination and we are getting outstanding response,” Souza told The Olympian.

Posters around the jail reportedly advertise the new vaccine incentive and note that the prize only applies to an inmate’s first shot.

“To encourage and support COVID vaccination efforts, the Benton County Department of Corrections will be providing each inmate that starts their vaccination series with 10 FREE RAMEN NOODLE SOUPS!!!” the posters read, along with a large photo of ramen noodles. – READ MORE