OHIO — Suzanne Ward's phone rang twice Wednesday night, and like many people who don't know the number calling them, she ignored it.
But then she heard a knock at the door.
"He said, 'I'm from Gov. DeWine's office," and then handed her a phone with DeWine on the other line.
Ward, a business professor at the University of Findlay, won the fourth $1 million prize in the Vax-a-Million lottery.
“I was like, 'Oh my goodness,'" she said. "It was a blessing."
DeWine asked her Thursday what she plans to do with the money. Ward said she's still contemplating but there are a few tasks on her radar.
"Grandkids will have their college fund paid and just looking (for) some things that we have a real passion for in the community to help," Ward said.
Sean Horning of Cincinnati, who just graduated high school last month, said at first, he thought it was a prank that he won a full-ride scholarship.
"I got done with baseball, and my dad actually gave me a call. I thought it might have been a prank because this did not feel real," Horning said. "I called my mom, and she was all jumping and crying and everything. I pulled into a parking lot and gave (DeWine) a call, and it just felt real now."
Horning said now that he secured funds for college, he's going to start his search.
“I’m going to look at some schools now that I have this opportunity,” he said. “I’m excited.”
There is one more drawing left in the Vax-a-Million lottery.
To enter, Ohio residents must have received either the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine or at the least the first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Residents must be age 18 or older to enter the lottery for one of five $1 million prizes, and those who entered for full-ride scholarships must be 12- to 17-years-old.
If a winner is found to not have received the vaccine, the participant will be disqualified and another winner will be picked.
Last week, more than 3.3 million Ohioans 18 and older had entered the drawing, and more than 143,000 residents ages 12-17 entered for a chance to win a full-ride scholarship.
Around 46.7% of the state population has received at least the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 42.2% of residents are completely vaccinated, according to state data. That's a slight uptick from last week, making nearly 1% more of the population completely vaccinated.
Last week, first-dose jabs declined. Between June 2 and June 7, the number dropped to 56,729.
Between June 8 to June 14, first-doses dropped by more than 10,000, according to state data.