President Biden Addresses the Nation With Prime-Time Speech About Stimulus, COVID-19
On the anniversary of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic, President Joe Biden addressed the U.S. in his first prime-time speech to Americans. Acknowledging the financial and emotional toll the pandemic has placed on people, Biden announced specific goals, including making COVID-19 vaccines available to all adults age 18 and over by May 1. “That doesn’t mean everyone’s going to have that shot immediately, but it means you’ll be able to get in line May 1,” he said.
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“A July 4th with your loved ones is the goal,” Biden said, noting there’s a good chance that small groups will be able to get together if everyone does their part. “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.”
Biden also stated that he would reach his goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans by day 60 in office; he had previously set the goal for 100 days. During his speech, he committed to maintaining the pace of two million shots per day, “outpacing the rest of the world.”
He plans to do this by permitting medical students, veterinarians and dentists to administer shots, and by deploying 4,000 active-duty Armed Forces troops to support vaccination efforts. Additionally, he revealed plans for a website update to make it easier for Americans to find the nearest vaccination site.
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He also promised mobile vaccines, at-home vaccines and programs aimed at “serving people in the hardest-hit communities of this pandemic: Black, Latino, Native American and rural communities.”
Biden also plans to open the majority of K-8 schools within his first 100 days in office.
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