Biden says 90% of all U.S. adults will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccine by April 19

President Biden announced on Monday that 90% of all American adults would be eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine April 19, about two weeks before May 1, a date he had previously set as his goal. But Mr Biden also warned Americans on Monday “not to release now” amid the rise COVID-19 infection rate, and called the governors who have mask warrants lifted to reinstate them.

“If we let our guard down now, we could still see the virus getting worse, not better,” Biden said on Monday. “We are giving up hard earned and hard earned gains. As much as we do, America, we must do more.”

Mr Biden echoed comments from Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who warned earlier Monday that the steady increase in new coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths has left him with a feeling of “imminent doom”.

“We are giving up hard earned and hard earned gains,” he said. “As much as we do, America, it’s time to do more. We all need to do our part, each of us.”

Mr Biden urged Americans not to abandon mitigation measures and implored governors and local officials to reinstate mask warrants to avoid another wave.

“Please, this is not politics,” he said. “Reinstate the warrant if you drop it.”

“Our work is far from over. The war on COVID-19 is far from won. It is extremely serious,” he said.

But Mr Biden also boasted on Monday that 100 million doses of the vaccine had been given well ahead of his initial goal of 100 days. It has since doubled its goal to 200 million doses of vaccine in its first 100 days. More than 145 million doses of the vaccine have been administered to date, according to the CDC.

To help more Americans access the vaccine, Mr Biden said he is leading his COVID team to locate vaccination sites within 5 miles of 90% of all Americans. The White House is increasing the number of pharmacies that can administer the vaccine, and by April 19, there will be 12 more federally-run vaccination sites.

Mr Biden’s announcement came soon after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state would open vaccine eligibility for all residents aged 30 and over starting Tuesday and for all residents 16 and over on April 16. Most states have announced plans to meet or exceed Mr Biden’s target of making all adults eligible by May 1.