President Joe Biden announced a goal to have the coronavirus vaccine available to 90% of U.S. adults by April 19, marking a new milestone in the process of putting an end to the pandemic.
“You heard me say many times before, our progress in vaccination is a stunning example that there is nothing this country cannot do if we put our minds to it, and we do it together… but our work is far from over,” Biden said Monday.
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Under the Biden administration’s plan, the number of pharmacies authorized to administer vaccines will more than double by April 19, from 17,000 to nearly 40,000. The federal government will also establish a dozen more mass vaccination sites. This means that 90% of U.S. adults will be within 5 miles of a vaccination site where they can make appointments to get the shots.
Major chain pharmacies such as CVS and Walgreens have been receiving vaccine shipments directly from the federal government since February as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program for COVID-19 Vaccination, a collaborative effort between the Biden administration, state governments, and retail pharmacies to administer the shots.
The federal government will also boost efforts to get shots to the most vulnerable populations, namely seniors and people with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness due to the coronavirus. Biden said he will direct $100 million to fund local organizations working to transport seniors and disabled people to their vaccine appointments.
“We have made incredible progress in starting to vaccinate nearly three-quarters of our seniors,” Biden said. “And now putting vaccination sites within 5 miles of 90% of all Americans, that still isn’t enough as far as we’re concerned.”
The Biden administration is also urging more states to widen the pool of vaccine eligibility to all adults by May 1 now that the federal government has ramped up the production of doses to cover all adults by the end of May. Several states have maintained vaccine eligibility requirements meant to ensure that the most at-risk populations have access to the shots first. In Colorado, for instance, all adults age 50 and older, people with high-risk health conditions, and some front-line workers can get the vaccine now. The general public will be eligible for the shots starting April 2.
So far, about 146 million doses have been administered in the United States. That includes roughly 28% of U.S. adults who have received at least one dose and nearly 16% who have been fully vaccinated.
“Of course, it will take time for everyone to get their appointment. It’s a big country, and as fast as we’re going. We still have a long way to go to finish this vaccination effort,” Biden said.
Biden administration officials have cautioned against loosening adherence to mask-wearing recommendations and social distancing as new cases and hospitalizations begin to climb again. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky warned earlier on Monday about her feeling of “impending doom” given the 10% increase in new daily cases confirmed last week compared to the previous week.
“We have so much to look forward to, so much promise and potential of where we are and so much reason for hope, but right now, I’m scared,” Walensky said.
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Last week, Biden announced his goal to administer 200 million doses within his first 100 days, doubling the initial target number of shots after his administration met its initial goal 42 days ahead of schedule. Public health experts have posited since Biden set the standard in January that the goal was not ambitious enough.
