WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden delivered his first primetime speech as commander-in-chief on Thursday evening from the East Room of the White House.
Biden said all adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1st. He also said he expects Americans to be able to celebrate a “truly special” Fourth of July.
Biden also said if the situation worsens he will have to reinstate restrictions, but he doesn’t want to do that again since there has been so much progress.
“I need you. I need every American to do their part. I need you to get vaccinated when is your turn,” Biden said, adding Dr. Anthony Fauci has assured everyone that the vaccines are safe.
Biden said well over 70% of seniors have been vaccinated and the U.S. is on track to reach 100 million shots in peoples’ arms on his 60th day in office. His original goal was 100 days. He announced last month that he had secured 600 million vaccine doses by July.
More than 400 Federal Emergency Management Agency-supported community vaccination centers have opened nationwide. In Miami-Dade County, there is one in Westview and two adjacent mobile satellite locations in Miami Springs and North Miami Beach.
Biden also said he carries a card with the number of victims of the coronavirus pandemic in his pocket. There have been more than 530,000 deaths to COVID-19 in the United States.
“We are bound together by the loss and the pain of the days that have gone by,” Biden said. “We are also bound together by the hope and the possibilities in the days in front of us.”
Biden also condemned the “vicious hate crimes” against Asian Americans since COVID-19 was first detected in China’s Wuhan province.
“It is wrong,” Biden said. “It is unAmerican and it must stop.”
For all of you asking when things will get back to normal, here is the truth: The only way to get our lives back — and to get our economy back on track — is to beat the virus.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 12, 2021
Here are the next steps we’re taking to make that happen:
I will use every power I have and I will not relent until we beat this virus.
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 12, 2021
But I need you. I need every American to do their part.
Get vaccinated when it’s your turn, keep washing your hands, stay socially distanced, and keep wearing masks.
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