United States President Joe Biden has announced that he will direct states to make all adults eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1. He was speaking in his first primetime address since taking office in January to mark the first anniversary since the World Health Organisation (WHO) named the coronavirus a pandemic.
Striking an optimistic tone after signing a 1.9 trillion dollar relief package into law, the President suggested life could begin to return to normal as early as July 4th – the country’s Independence Day.
The almost two trillion dollar relief package buoying the President’s agenda as he marked the one year anniversary of the World Health Organisation determination that coronavirus was a pandemic. In a speech layered with hope and possibility.
“I’m announcing that I will direct all states, tribes and territories to make all adults – people 18 and over eligible to be vaccinated no later than May 1. Let me say that again – all adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1. That’s much earlier than expected. Let me be clear, that doesn’t mean everyone’s gonna have that shot immediately but it means you may be able to get in line beginning May 1.
Every adult will be eligible to get their shot – to do this, we’re going to go from a million shots a day that I promised in December before I was sworn in, to beating our current pace of 2 million shots a day. Outpacing the rest of the world,” Biden says.
His speech of under 25 minutes reflected the toll this pandemic has wrought in the United States – with almost 530 000 dead, health systems pushed to the brink, a rise in joblessness and poverty in a collective suffering of a nation that will require a collective effort as an economic resurgence beckons.
“If we do all this, if we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4th, there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day.
That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together, but it does mean small groups will be able to get together after this long, hard year that will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus,” says the President.
Biden promises to make vaccines available to all Americans by summer:
He slammed the continued politicisation of masks, while rebuking those who have targeted Asian Americans after a surge in attacks against this demographic since the start of the pandemic.
“Too often, we’ve turned against one another. A mask, the easiest thing to do to save lives, sometimes it divides us. States pitted against one another instead of working with each other. Vicious hate crimes against Asian Americans who have been attacked, harassed, blamed, and scapegoated.
At this very moment, so many of them, our fellow Americans, they’re on the front lines of this pandemic trying to save lives, and still, still, they are forced to live in fear for their lives, just walking down streets in America. It’s wrong, it’s un-American, and it must stop.”
Without mentioning his predecessor, Biden pointed to the early efforts against the virus in US efforts he characterised as “silence” and “denials” for months as it spread unchecked.
“You know, and there’s something else we lost. We lost faith in whether our government and our democracy can deliver on really hard things for the American people. But as I stand here tonight, we’re proving once again something I’ve said time and time again, probably tired of hearing me say it. I say it to foreign leaders and domestic alike. It’s never, ever a good bet to bet against the American people. America is coming back,” he proclaimed.
Republicans continue to criticise the cautious approach of the administration, calling for the full reopening of the economy and classrooms without further delay.
