Biden to Move Up Vaccine Eligibility Deadline to April 19

President Joe Biden is scheduled to announce on Tuesday that he’s shifting the deadline for states to make all U.S. adults eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine to April 19.

Biden originally called on states to open up eligibility for all adults by May 1, and many states have already done so. Now the deadline is moving up by about two weeks.

Biden said last week that 90% of adults will be eligible to get a vaccine by April 19 and that they could receive one within five miles of their home under an expanded vaccination plan. All 50 states have announced when they plan to open vaccines to all adults, with 36 states already open to ages 16 and older, according to CBS News.

By April 19, 12 more states and the District of Columbia will open eligibility. The two remaining states — Hawaii and Oregon — were slated for May 1, and Biden’s announcement may change their plans according to NBC News.

On Tuesday, Biden is scheduled to visit a vaccination site in Alexandria, Virginia, and give remarks about the state of U.S. vaccinations from the White House, CNN. reported. He’s expected to speak about the 150 million doses that have been administered during his first 75 days in office, with the goal of reaching 200 million shots during his first 100 days.

The U.S. has distributed 207 million COVID-19 vaccine doses, and 107.5 million people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the latest CDC tally updated on Monday. About 62 million people have received two doses or are considered fully vaccinated, which is about 18.8% of the population, the CDC reported.

SOURCES:

CNN, “Biden set to announce he’s moving deadline for all US adults to be eligible for Covid vaccine to April 19.”

CBS News, “Biden to move up deadline for adult eligibility for COVID vaccine to April 19.”

NBC News, “Biden to announce April 19 deadline for making all adults eligible for Covid vaccine.”

CDC, “COVID-19 Vaccinations in the United States.”

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