President Joe Biden offered a Fourth of July goal for the U.S. to begin returning to normal as “light in the darkness” to a weary nation on Thursday, counting on a rapidly expanding supply of coronavirus vaccine to raise American hopes.
In his first prime-time address as president, Biden told states he wants all adults in the U.S. made eligible for vaccines by May 1. That vision was already within reach before his announcement, on the first anniversary of lockdowns that paralyzed the world’s largest economy.
The new goal carried echoes of the last time Biden made a promise he was already on track to meet—his declaration before taking office that his administration would preside over 100 million doses of vaccine jabbed into American arms in his first 100 days. By the time he was inaugurated, the U.S. was already nearing a pace of 1 million shots a day, virtually assuring the goal would be achieved.
And sure enough, Biden said Thursday that the nation would hit the threshold next week, just 60 days into his presidency, as vaccinations have sharply accelerated to a pace of more than 2.2 million shots per day, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.
Still, the new steps he announced to bring the pandemic to heel helped turn his speech into a bright contrast with his predecessor, former President Donald Trump. Biden’s remarks were heavy on empathy and encouragement for Americans exhausted by demands that they isolate from family and friends and wear masks outside their homes.
And by getting ahead of progress already underway in states, Biden can claim another accomplishment as vaccines are made available to all Americans in the weeks to come.
“If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July 4 there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together,” Biden said.
President’s Plea
Biden spoke to a scarred American public, where about one in five Americans say they lost a relative or close friend to Covid-19, according to a new Associated Press poll.
The roughly 24-minute address served as table-setting for a White House with ambitious plans for the coming months – and facing substantial headwinds, from the lingering pandemic to razor-thin majorities on Capitol Hill that give the president little room for error.
While vaccinations are slowing infections by a virus that has already killed 530,000 Americans, the president still must manage a massive logistical effort, convince skeptics to get their shots, and do both before new, more contagious variants of the virus potentially emerge.
“I need you,” Biden told his audience. “I need every American to do their part.”
Biden’s announcement Thursday built on a previous goal: that he expects to have enough doses of vaccine for all U.S. adults by the end of May. With that expected wave of shots incoming, he took the next step by urging states to kick off the month by making every adult, regardless of age or other health conditions, eligible to seek a shot.
Alaska has already opened eligibility to all adults, and New York City is expected to be able to do so by late April or early May—right around Biden’s target.