Biden: Vaccine Eligibility to Include All Adults by May 1 [Video]

• President Joe Biden declared that the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility will be expanded to include all adults in the US by May 1.
• He added that the hope is to be able to spend time with loved ones by July 4.
• Still, the president issued a warning to continue observing safety precautions to help curb the spread of the disease.

As Thursday marked the one-year anniversary of the start of the shutdowns in the United States caused by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, President Joe Biden delivered a primetime address declaring that all adults shall be eligible for the vaccine by May 1.

Solemnly talking about the COVID-19 death toll in the US, the president said, “While it was different for everyone, we all lost something.”

Biden then shared the next steps for recovery, which included expanding the vaccine eligibility to all adults in the US states, tribes, and territories by May 1.

He added that more resources for finding and scheduling vaccine appointments will be made available, followed by guidelines on which activities will require a vaccination.

Biden declared that the aim is to return to a semblance of a normal life by July 4. This includes reopening schools from kindergarten through eighth grade.

“I need every American to do their part,” the president implored. “July 4th with your loved ones is the goal.”

However, he warned that this still does not mean that everyone can relax on safety precautions such as social distancing and wearing a mask.

“Beating this virus and getting back to normal depends on national unity… we’ve made so much progress, this is not the time to let up,” he continued.

The pandemic is “a shared experience that binds us together as a nation,” Biden concluded, adding that “we’re also bound together by a hope and possibilities of the days in front of us.”

Biden had promised to contain the pandemic and return the country to normal since before his start of office. So far, his administration has distributed about 128 million COVID-19 vaccines. They are also set to procure 100 million one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccines to be distributed in the second half of 2021.

According to The Washington Post, around 62.5 million people have received one or more vaccine doses, 32 million of which have been fully vaccinated as of Thursday.

The deadly disease has infected more than 29.2 million people and killed at least 528,829 as of Thursday, according to a New York Times tracker.

Source: People