President Joe Biden will announce in his prime-time speech on Thursday that he’s directing al states, territories and tribes to make all adults eligible for the vaccine by May 1, a senior administration official said. Mr. Biden is giving his first prime-time address to mark the one-year anniversary of the World Health Organization’s characterization of COVID-19 as a pandemic.
Making all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1 is one of the most sweeping directives so far from Mr. Biden, who has largely left decisions about eligibility up to the states. The president has already said there would be enough vaccine supply for all American adults by the end of May.
Once all Americans are eligible for the vaccine, the Biden administration will try to ensure all adults can access it by increasing the number of places where people can get their shots, and boosting the number of vaccinators.
The president will also announce that by May 1, a federally supported website will list nearby locations administering the vaccine, and a 1-800 number will be available for those who might lack internet access.
The Biden administration will also provide additional guidelines on what vaccinated people may safely do.
Mr. Biden signed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package on Thursday afternoon, a day earlier than expected.
His presidency began two months ago, with the virus still surging in many parts of the country. On the eve of Mr. Biden’s inauguration, the number of lives claimed by COVID-19 surpassed 400,000, and he and Vice President Harris held a national observance that evening at the Lincoln Memorial to honor them. Now that total has risen to over 500,000. Still, there has been progress. As more Americans have received their vaccinations — nearing 100 million — the daily numbers of infections and deaths have begun to fall.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said this week that Mr. Biden would “discuss the many sacrifices the American people have made over the last year and the grave loss communities and families across the country have suffered.”
On this day a year ago, after the WHO called COVID-19 a pandemic, President Trump gave a prime-time address from the Oval Office, announcing a travel ban from Europe. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 had been reported on Capitol Hill. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,400 points amid fears of an economic shutdown and the NBA suspended its season after player Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus. Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson also announced that night that they had tested positive.
Nearly 530,000 Americans have died of COVID-19.
