Tossing vaccine priority list, Biden tells states to open eligibility by May 1

Enlarge / US President Joe Biden speaks on the anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2021. (credit: Getty | Mandel Ngan)

On the first anniversary of the global COVID-19 pandemic, US President Joe Biden announced that he will direct states to open vaccine eligibility to all American adults no later than May 1, a dramatic acceleration of the national immunization plan that has been sluggish and, at times, chaotic.

"That's much earlier than expected," Biden said in a televised, prime-time address. It doesn't mean every American over age 18 will have their shot by then, Biden cautioned, but you'll be able to get in line.

The announcement means that carefully crafted prioritizations for vaccines will soon no longer apply. The White House COVID-19 Response Team landed on May 1 for the deadline after concluding that national vaccination efforts would be far-enough along by the end of April to make the prioritizations obsolete anyway.

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