Joe Biden has promised every adult in America will be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine by mid-April, as the country continues to inoculate people at a rapid pace.
The US president on Tuesday announced the new target date, having overseen 150m shots in his first 75 days in office — in line with his pledge to oversee 200m shots in his first 100 days.
The new date for universal adult eligibility is two weeks earlier than previously planned, but requires only one state — Hawaii — to change its current plans, with most already having expanded eligibility or announced plans to do so.
Biden said: “Beginning April 19, every adult in every state, every adult in this country, [will be] eligible to get in line to get a Covid vaccination. ”
The US vaccine rollout has picked up pace in recent weeks, with the country now administering about 3m doses every day, according to data from Bloomberg. About 40 per cent of US adults have now received at least one shot.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 167m doses have now been administered — more than any other country. While 40 per cent of adults have received at least one shot, about a quarter have completed their course of vaccinations, including 55 per cent of people aged over 65.
Even as the vaccinations continue to gather speed, concern is building over a possible fourth wave of infections, with cases rising in many northern states, including Michigan, Illinois and Vermont.
There are now about 64,000 new cases being reported each day in the US, up from about 53,000 last month. Deaths, however, continue to fall to lows not seen since October, which US health officials believe is due in part to high levels of vaccinations among older adults.
Public health authorities have warned that new variants, such as the B.1.1.7 strain first detected in the UK, are behind part of the spread. Federal health officials have urged Americans not to abandon measures such as social distancing and mask-wearing, even as many states move to loosen or abandon restrictions.
Biden said on Tuesday: “This virus is spreading because we have too many people who see the end in sight, [who] think we’re at the finish line already. Let me be deadly earnest with you, we aren’t. We still have a lot of work to do. We’re still in a life and death race against this virus. ”