On the one year anniversary of WHO officially declaring a global pandemic, President Joe Biden addressed the U.S. with some good news: All American adults will be eligible for a vaccine by May 1. Finally.
“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,” Biden said. In other words, the U.S. is reaching a point of vaccine surplus that will allow us to move past the phases of vaccine eligibility so that anyone who wants one can sign up for a shot. And Biden predicted that when you’re signed up, you won’t have wait too long. “All states, tribes and territories” will be expected to have enough vaccines for everyone by the end of May.
It’s a rapid acceleration from earlier predictions. Originally, the Biden Administration’s hope was to administer 100 million vaccinations by Biden’s 100th day in office. If the current timeline holds, that goal will be met by Biden’s 60th day in office — March 21. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that around 2.2 million doses are being administered every day, and the nation is just shy of 20 percent of the population receiving their first dose.
But the May deadline will require an extensive ramping up of current services, including new vaccination sites and a robust federal website to supplement the state-run services that have been utilized thus far. Many dentists and veterinarians will be able to get certified to administer vaccinations as well.
If all that goes according to plan, Americans can look forward to a normal July 4, hanging out with friends, barbecuing with the family and watching the fireworks with neighbors. “By 4 July, there is a good chance you, your family and friends can get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout or a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day,” Biden said. “After a long, hard year, that will make this Independence Day truly special — where we not only mark our independence as a nation but we begin to mark our independence from this virus.”
This announcements comes on the heels of Biden signing the enormous $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill which will boost the annual income of America’s poorest quintile by 20 percent, cut child poverty in half, deliver up to a $3,600 child tax credit to millions of parents in the U.S. and a host of other longterm liberal and progressive economic goals in addition to the $1,400 most Americans will be receiving in the coming weeks. You can read more about the specifics of that bill here.
