Nation/World: Biden sets May 1 target to have all adults vaccineeligible,
President Joseph Biden announced during a prime time televised address Thursday that he will direct states to make all adults eligible to receive a vaccine no later than May 1.
And the president offered another glimmer of hope to a pandemic-weary nation now facing one year since lockdowns began: that they might be able to celebrate the Fourth of July with some degree of normalcy in small backyard gatherings.
U.S. territories and tribes will also be directed to make everyone over the age of 18 eligible for the vaccine by that date, the president said.
“Let me be clear— that doesn’t mean everyone’s going to have that shot immediately, but it means you’ll be able to get in line beginning May 1,” he said.
For Connecticut residents, the president’s announcement moves the timetable up by two days. Under the plan announced by Gov. Ned Lamont on Feb. 22, the final group of adults to be eligible for the vaccines, those between the ages of 16 and 34, would be able to register for appointments
starting May 3.
A statement from the governor’s office Thursday evening offered a fullthroated endorsement of Biden’s directive to states.
“Achieving universal access to vaccines for all adults by May is a bold, aggressive goal coming from President Biden, and
this is the kind of leadership that is necessary to get our state and our country back to normal,” the statement from Lamont said. “On behalf of the people of Connecticut: I accept this challenge. I also echo the President’s call for each of us to get our vaccine as soon as we are eligible.”
Lamont said the state will work with vaccine providers to ensure “an equitable distribution.”
“Reaching our underserved communities remains a priority of my administration and we will do everything we can to get as many vaccines administered as we can in the coming weeks,” the governor said.
News of the announcement leaked to the press in the hours leading up to the president’s live address, which aired at 8 p.m. The president’s address marked the one-year anniversary of the date most of the country went into lockdown, as schools and businesses were shuttered and daily life ground to a virtual halt for millions around the country.
It was a point Biden touched on repeatedly throughout his address. He noted the cost in lives from the disease — 527,726 in the United States, the president said, reading from the back of his schedule kept in his pocket. But he also reflected on a less tangible loss, as the pandemic put life on hold, canceling “all the things that needed to happen but didn’t.”
“We’ve lost so much time, time with each other,” Biden said. “And our children have lost so much time with their friends, time with their schools.”
He said returning a majority of kindergarten through eighth grade schools to in-person learning will be the “No. 1 priority” of his new secretary of education— former Connecticut
Department of Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona.
Biden asked those watching, at one point staring into the camera directly and imploring them, to get vaccinated when they are able to and encourage others to do the same. He also urged watchers to continue social distancing, washing their hands and — with added emphasis — to keep wearing masks.
He offered the prospect of a more normal Fourth of July as incentive, with “a cookout and a barbecue” with friends and family.
“That doesn’t mean large events with lots of people together but it does mean small groups will be able to get together,” the president said.
Lamont said he is looking forward to it.
“I thank President Biden for this approach and for working to end this pandemic, supporting families and small businesses, and working to get our economy back on solid ground,” the governor said. “I, too, look forward to Independence Day so we can celebrate with family and friends our collective achievement of getting back to normal.”