President Biden set a goal of “getting closer to the normal” on July 4 by reopening the country in his first prime-time address Thursday evening. To achieve that goal, Mr. Biden said he would direct all states to make all American adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1.
“It will make this Independence Day really special – where we mark not only our independence as a nation, but also our independence from this virus,” said Mr Biden. But to achieve this goal, he said, “I need every American to do his part.”
As a greater number of people are fully vaccinated, Mr. Biden said the Centers for Disease Control would update their guidelines on activities such as travel and attendance at church services. The Biden government has been criticized by some for providing such limited guidance to fully vaccinated people so far.
Mr. Biden also said his administration is on track to take 2 million shots a day and to reach his original target of 100 million shots in the arms by his 60th day in office, in just 10 days.
“No other country in the world has done this. None,” he said of the vaccination coverage in the US.
Overall, Mr. Biden tried to send a message of unity as Americans enter the second year of the pandemic. He struck a solemn tone at the start of the speech, announcing that he was celebrating the one-year anniversary of “closing everything down”.
“A collective suffering, a collective sacrifice, a year of loss of life and a loss of livelihood for all of us,” said Mr Biden. He told Americans that he keeps a card in his pocket showing the total number of Americans who have died from COVID.
Today, he said, that number is 527,726.
MANDEL NGAN / AFP via Getty Images